Shepherds Watching Over Us
by DrYuriMom
Summary: Who watches the lambs when they vacation amongst wolves?
1. Ambivalent Meetings

**Shepherds Watching Over Us**

Who watches the lambs when they vacation amongst wolves?

* * *

**Ambivalent Meetings**

Yumi's 2nd year, Early August  
First Wednesday of Summer Vacation  
(POV: Fukuzawa Yuuki)

_This looks a bit…rustic for Sachiko-san. Did I get the right place?_

Fukuzawa Yuuki walked briskly down the tree-lined lane toward a white house with red peaked roof in the distance. In his hand he was carrying a tightly sealed parasol his sister, Yumi, had left at home in her excitement to flee their house to spend the week with her Lillian oneesama, Ogasawara Sachiko.

_I can't blame her for being in such a rush to leave. Mom and Dad were in a tizzy over this whole thing, pestering her about every detail. They're usually not terribly focused on status and stuff, but they've definitely lost their cool over Yumi having fallen in with the Ogasawaras. I guess it would be kinda cute if it wasn't so embarrassing to Yumi. I'm just glad I was able to hide that Kashiwagi-senpai is Sachiko-san's betrothed or else I'd probably be getting it too._

Since Yuuki was visiting nearby anyway, it seemed logical for him to just quietly drop by when he got into town a few days later rather than ask his Dad to rush him by car to the train station to drop the parasol off with Yumi before she left Tokyo…and in the process totally humiliate his sister.

_It's us against them and I know who's side I'm on_, Yuuki thought with amusement.

It was still late-morning and the birds hadn't quite given up making music to the cicadas yet as the temperature rose. The trip from the bullet train station to the bus stop nearest the address Yumi had left with their parents, and then the walk to the house, had actually been quite pleasant.

_I can see why someone like Sachiko-san might like to escape here. No one to bug her. No worries. It seems a little slow paced for Yumi, though. I hope she's having fun and isn't too bored._

Yuuki stood before the house and reconsidered one last time before walking to the door and knocking. He waited patiently until an older woman with a kind smile opened the door enough to hold a polite conversation.

"May I help you?"

"Yes, my name is Fukuzawa Yuuki. I understand my sister Yumi may be staying here?" Yuuki chose to be circumspect with the details of who he was looking to see, just in case he did have the wrong place.

"Ah, I can definitely see a resemblance," the woman said with a broadening smile. She then opened the door completely, allowing Yuuki to see an older man standing nearby, slightly further into the house. "I should introduce ourselves, I suppose. My name is Sawamura Kiyo and this is my husband Gensuke. We are responsible for this house and for caring for visitors when they arrive."

"I'll go retrieve your sister, Fukuzawa-sama, if you'll wait just a moment," the older man, Gensuke, said with a nod and turned to go deeper into the house.

"Would you like to come in and sit down, Fukuzawa-sama?" Kiyo asked politely. "It looks like you walked here from the bus station, which is a bit of a journey even before the heat rises in the afternoon. I'd be happy to get you something to drink. I have iced tea ready."

"Oh no, Sawamura-san. That certainly isn't necessary. I had plenty to drink on the train. I also need to get back quickly, so I won't be here long at all. I just came by to drop off something Yumi forgot in her excitement to leave." Yuuki held up the parasol as evidence.

Kiyo smiled and nodded knowingly. "From what I have seen of your sister these past two days, I can easily imagine such a thing happening. You and your parents have much to be proud of with that one. She is a remarkable young woman. A very refreshing visitor. I had wished just yesterday that there were more like her, and it didn't take long for my wish to be fulfilled, did it?" With this the caretaker winked and excused herself as Yumi was making her way up the hall to the door. Kiyo bowed slightly to Yumi as the two passed, and then more deeply as Sachiko followed behind her petite soeur.

As Yumi came to the door, Yuuki held up the parasol again and said, "You forgot this, so I came to deliver it."

"Oh!" Yumi exclaimed, her wide-eyed face showing surprise. Yuuki could see Sachiko station herself behind and to the left of her the pig-tailed girl, standing in front of a case of stairs.

"You forgot it at home after you went to the trouble of buying it," Yuuki continued to explain, more in explanation to Sachiko than Yumi. Yumi was clearly embarrassed based on her expressions and noises, but Yuuki continued to dig, both because it was fun to tease Yumi and also to ensure Sachiko knew full well his reason for rudely interrupting her relaxing time away. "Your fun vacation won't begin without this, right?"

"Uhhh…You stu…Don't say such unnecessary things!" Yumi said indignantly as she rushed forward to grab the parasol from his hand.

"Yumi, you shouldn't behave that way after he brought it for you." Sachiko was out of Yumi's view as she said this, but her voice matched her chiding expression. Yuuki began to feel bad for his sister and regretted, just a little, having goaded her into reacting given the dejected look that now graced her face.

"Right…" Yumi replied, clearly chastened.

_I'll have to find a way of apologizing to her later. I really did take it too far, but it's too late now._

"Yuuki-san, please come in. We'll be having lunch soon, so you should join us," Sachiko said in hopeful invitation.

_If I wasn't so much in a rush to get back before Yamaguchi-kun and Alice-chan kill me, and if Yumi didn't clearly see me as an intruder based on that scary look on her face, it would be cool to take Sachiko up on the offer. I can't see doing that to Yumi now, though._

Yuuki raised his hands to help emphasize his next words, "Oh, no. I'm supposed to meet the members of the student council on Main Street. We only arrived just now, but everybody was already saying they wanted to go into town."

At his words, Yumi's body language and tone of voice did a 180 degree change. "What? You're going to Main Street?" Her excitement at the idea of getting away to explore a bit was palpable. Unlike Yumi, Yuuki could see over Yumi's shoulder at Sachiko's smile.

_Okay, that settles it. She is at least a little bored. Well maybe I'll be able to make things up to Yumi sooner than later. It should also make Alice-chan happy given how insistent she was that I bring Yumi into town today with me. She's clearly in full 'girl-mode' this week and I guess she wants someone to go window shopping with her. There seemed more to it than that, though…_

"You haven't been yet? You want to come with me?" Yuuki offered.

"Uh…" Yumi was clearly conflicted.

"Yumi, you should go," Sachiko suggested encouragingly, her smile widening and her concern for the pig-tailed girl evident. Yumi turned slightly in the direction of her oneesama, as if to listen that much more intently. "If you're with Yuuki-san, there'll be nothing to worry about."

_Yumi clearly doesn't want to be separated from Sachiko-san. Makes sense. There's an easy solution to that, assuming we can coax Sachiko-san out of her comfortable, private hidey hole._

"You should come with us too, Sachiko-san," Yuuki suggested hopefully, trying to be as inviting as he could be. Yumi turned more so she could clearly see Sachiko's response.

"I've been there before," Sachiko said ambivalently. "And besides, I don't like crowds."

At this, Yumi turned to fully face her oneesama such that Yuuki could no longer see his sister's face.

"You needn't hesitate on my account," the older girl finished, smiling even more encouraging to Yumi.

"But…" Yumi said, still clearly conflicted.

_It's clear you want to go, and everyone on both your end and my end who has stated a preference wants you to go. It's time I play the loving brother and take matters into my own hands. I still have a role in your life, dear sister, whether either of us wants to admit it to outsiders or not!_

With a smile and wink at Sachiko, Yuuki reached out and grabbed Yumi's left hand with his right and spun her around as he firmly coaxed her out the door. The lack of concerted resistance from the girl was his clear indicator that she really did want to go but needed someone else to make the decision for her because she just couldn't bring herself to do so.

"Then I'll be borrowing my big sister for a while," Yuuki called out as he walked away from the house. "Yumi, come on, let's go."

"Waaa!" Yumi exclaimed in verbal protest, but still her actions belied the noises.

The two siblings continued walking back up the path in silence for a short while, long enough to reach the road and safely out of hearing distance, before Yuuki let go her hand and continued speaking his mind. "It's not good."

"What's not good?" Yumi said, clearly unsure what Yuuki was trying to say.

Yuuki turned to look at Yumi before continuing. "It was written all over your face that you actually wanted to go."

Yumi's hands rose to her cheeks and she blushed slightly. "My face? Was it really showing?"

"Yes. Not going because you're concerned about Sachiko-san is disrespectful to her," Yuuki explained.

"Oh…" Yumi said, her hands dropping and her face falling, her expression clearly defeated. "But…"

Any more words from Yumi were cut off by the sound of a car slowing to a stop behind him. The sound caused Yuuki to stiffen. _I know the sound of that car, _Yuuki groaned inwardly. He turned, already knowing what he'd see.

And he wasn't disappointed. Kashiwagi Suguru's sporty red car was stationed in the middle of the road, right in front of the drive into Sachiko's summer home. Yuuki's stomach fell as he watched Kashiwagi-san step out of the car. His expression was friendly, but…

_I'd buy the helpful look a lot more if you were actually supposed to be here._

"Hey there, Yuukichi and Yumi," Suguru called out helpfully.

Yuuki was at a loss for words at the unexpected appearance of his former senpai. _Why are you surprised, idiot? He hasn't passed up an opportunity yet to meddle since he graduated. Why start now?_

Yumi was obviously just as surprised as her brother based on her voice as she exclaimed, "Kashiwagi-san…"

Yuuki just stood, blank eyed, not sure how to respond._ I wonder if there's anyone on this Earth who actually still likes you and yet finds you as annoying as I do, Kashiwagi-senpai…_

* * *

*****PGBR*****

_Two days earlier…_

Yumi's 2nd year, Early August  
First Monday of Summer Vacation  
(POV: Kashiwagi Suguru)

"You're even more annoying today than usual, which for you is quite an accomplishment," Touko expressed to her cousin as she looked helplessly to her side out the window at the fading cityscape. She was in her usual seat to the left of Kashiwagi Suguru as they drove into the sparsely populated hills of northwestern Saitama Prefecture on this Monday morning. While the wooded hills looked inviting given the August heat, it wasn't at all the direction she had expected to be going.

The admittedly stylish and handsome but often vexing driver dressed in solid baby blue shirt with an open collar and white slacks simply smiled in response, eyes effectively hidden by sunglasses, saying nothing.

"I'm already in a foul mood with Sachiko oneesama's escalating foolishness and that painfully clueless girl she made her petite soeur last year. I really would rather not have to deal with your games too, Oniisama."

"It isn't a game, Touko-chan. And even if it were, I'd like to think we'd be on the same side. As I said, I simply have to pick someone else up. After that, I promise we'll proceed directly to the family summer home and Grandfather."

"Who are we picking up?" Touko asked, turning back to glare at the driver to emphasize her frustration at finding it necessary to ask the same question yet again.

"You'll see."

Touko growled at the repeated useless answer. "That goes without saying. I don't exactly have much of a choice." She snapped her gaze back out the window, her trademark wide light-brown curls twirling into her face briefly from the rapid movement. Although the dappled morning sunlight shining through the greenery should have been relaxing, her tenseness showed no signs of fading.

Suguru had departed the Kan-etsu Expressway about 10 minutes ago, a move he knew would come as a complete surprise to Touko given they had covered less than half the distance from the Matsudaira family estate to their summer home in the northern reaches of Gunma Prefecture. Her irritated response was completely expected; in fact he had cultivated her annoyance all morning...a fairly easy task given her overall crossness these past few months. _I want her annoyed. She needs to be at her most skeptical and catty in order to get a real sense of whether this is going to work with her friends._

The two occupants of the car continued in silence for another 10 minutes as they wove along an increasingly wooded and rural road, stopping when Suguru turned off onto what appeared to be a private drive given the gate and fence extending to each direction from it. An address plaque on the gate seemed to contain a name as well, but the kanji was just barely too small to make out from the car as they drove past.

"Where are we now?" Touko asked, annoyance mixing with curiosity now.

"The family estate of the person we're here to pick up," Suguru answered simply. "It's best to wait until we get there to answer your questions."

Touko took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She held her tongue, however, knowing any further words would be useless at this point. Before long, the densely wooded path opened up into a very well manicured lawn dotted with several gardens of various types and occupied at the center by a very large house...or more accurately a respectable mansion.

Suguru stopped the car in the driveway that looped in front of the main entrance, encircling a fountain. "We're here," he said as he removed his seatbelt and got out of the car. He noted Touko's curiosity overriding her annoyance for the moment as she did likewise before he turned his attention to the house.

The house was western style, much more like Touko's own home in design and size than where Suguru lived. It was raised, with stairs leading up to the main entrance. A second story existed above the main level, and almost certainly one below as well. He had been inside this house several times in the past year, and houses like it were familiar to him given his upbringing as a Kashiwagi as well as the intended heir, along with his betrothed, to the Ogasawara fortune.

As he was regarding the house, an unusually tall woman in her mid-20's by her appearance with light brown hair dressed casually in a simple, sleeveless white top with a long, flowing brown patterned skirt and sandals exited the house followed by what appeared to be two of the house staff, a man and a woman, in more formal attire.

"I'd comment that you're late, Kashiwagi-san, but alas my dear younger sister is even more behind so the chiding would fall short," she spoke out loudly enough to be heard down the stairs. The woman smiled widely, both due to her apparent good humor as well as her line of sight toward Suguru being uncomfortably close to the sun so she had to squint a little. Suguru walked up to meet her so she could turn her gaze a little more away from the brightness and regard Suguru properly.

"I had a feeling that would be the case, hence my lack of urgency. It looks like you are doing well, Arisugawa-san." Suguru bowed slightly and smiled, before turning his head to look back toward Touko. The younger girl remained standing some 25 meters away down the stairs and beside the door of the car she had recently exited. One of the two servants, the woman, was addressing her at the moment, likely inquiring whether she would like a refreshment or needed lady's facilities.

"So this is the other girl who missed out on a trip abroad in order to participate in your big scheme?" The woman before him added in a quieter, more conversational and informal voice meant clearly for just the two of them.

Suguru removed his sunglasses before continuing, respectfully allowing his conversation partner to see his eyes as they spoke. "I've told you that Touko-chan made her own decision; I had nothing to do with it and I'm still unsure of her reasons or whether she'll be a help or hindrance," the young man admitted with an ambivalent shrug that clashed with his troubled expression. "As far as Alice-kun, I regret very much that he had to miss his trip for this. That said, you know once I explained to him the stakes for Yuukichi's sister, he agreed it was a necessary sacrifice as well. In any case, this is also the traditional time for the Hanadera Student Council retreat and he _is_ the Council Secretary." This last was said as if that alone justified denying the long-awaited flight, and more importantly the associated visit with Alice's beloved oneesama.

The woman's face darkened at Suguru's words, and he immediately knew why and what to expect. "Suguru-kun, SHE does realize, and SHE also acknowledges HER responsibilities, but that still doesn't change the fact it broke her heart to cancel a trip to Italy. I doubt you will ever fully appreciate just how much the poor thing sacrificed for you. I'll also emphasize that you had better drill into your head that Alice is a girl or you will ruin your own Machiavellian plan before your star actress even have a chance to pull it off," she practically growled.

"My apologies, Yasuna-san," Suguru responded with a contrite grin. "You are right, of course. Just remember, I deal with Alice at Hanadera rather than at Lillian or home."

"I'd be more sympathetic if she hadn't played escort service for you so often this past year," the woman said with a scowl. She then sighed and her shoulders visibly relaxed. "Then again, I realize that was then and this is now. She's not exactly the Hanadera student you remember." The woman smiled now as she finished that statement, and then added enigmatically, "Just wait a few minutes and I doubt you'll have trouble with pronouns for the rest of the week."

Suguru opened his mouth to speak again, but stopped when Yasuna shook her head slightly and turned, apparently to face someone else. He turned as well to see Touko coming up the steps to meet them, her skirt fluttering in the slight morning breeze as she walked slightly ahead of the servant who had been speaking with her moments before. When Touko stopped to stand with Suguru and Yasuna, the servant continued on into the house.

"Touko-chan let me introduce you to the older sister of the person who will be joining us for the rest of the trip to the mountains." He looked to Touko who was herself looking expectantly at Suguru and Yasuna. "Matsudaira Touko, this is Arisugawa Yasuna."

"Welcome to our home, Matsudaira-san," Yasuna said properly with a formal greeting bow. "Please forgive my grandfather, but he has limited mobility and had to decline a chance to greet our guests. My mother is out of country right now, addressing business affairs in Europe. Hopefully my presence will be enough while we await the arrival of my tardy sister. Is there anything you need in order to be comfortable while you wait? Would you like to wait inside given the sun is already starting to get oppressive?"

"Moving inside would be appreciated, Arisugawa-san," Touko said in full polite socialite mode. "I'm sure I will be getting enough sun as it is without inviting more of it standing on a doorstep. As far as anything else, I believe your staff is getting some iced tea for us and that should be fine. Iced tea is a pleasant and appreciated antidote for another very hot day."

As the group moved inside Yasuna continued the conversation, her language slipping once again into a more casual form. "Hopefully it will be a bit cooler in the mountains. I wish I could come up and join everyone, but I have to represent Grandfather at several meetings this week. I'm the token family member who didn't get to run off and enjoy herself elsewhere during the heat of the summer. I can barely wait for my sister to grow up so I won't be the most junior anymore." Yasuna winked at Touko with this last, and Touko's smile seemed to warm just slightly at this admission. "Have you had a pleasant drive so far, Matsudaira-san?" Yasuna's smile turned a bit impish before she continued by saying, "I understand your cousin's driving can often leave passengers a bit anxious."

Touko allowed herself a chuckle at this, although her expression remained schooled as she glanced about to take in her new surroundings. "Yes, his driving can sometimes be…aggressive, but I've spent enough time in his care to have gotten used to it. Many forget how he values that skin of his rather highly," Touko said while looking askance with an arched eyebrow at the subject of her comment, "so I doubt he'd ever allow himself to be in an accident. I am certainly safer _in_ his car than those unfortunate enough to be on the sidewalk near it. I'm just looking forward to meeting this second passenger I've heard so little about. My dear cousin has been vexingly cryptic, and I apologize if that makes me an ill-prepared guest."

"Not at all, Matsudaira-san," Yasuna said reassuringly. "You've been lovely, and I am very glad to get to know you."

Any further discussion was ended for the moment as the sound of ice clinking against glass met those standing inside the door and the same female servant came out with a tray carrying three tall glasses of iced tea. "Yasuna ojou-sama and honored guests, here is the iced tea Matsudaira-sama suggested would be desirable after her long drive. She couldn't suggest how Kashiwagi-sama would like his tea, and so I brought out options for him if he wishes it sweetened."

The three helped themselves to the tea and Yasuna was assured by the other two that it was to their liking before she permitted the servant to continue. "Alice ojou-sama is just collecting the few things that weren't sent up yesterday and should be joining you within moments. She wished me to convey her deep apologies for her rudeness in making Matsudaira-sama wait."

As the servant turned and went back into the house, Yasuna chuckled. "She apologizes to Matsudaira-san but not you, Kashiwagi-san. Certain things in the universe are indeed constant. It appears you'll be unable to buy a break from either of your lady travelling companions."

Despite her efforts at schooling her expression, Touko's eyes showed her amusement at this last remark. Suguru simply smiled silently and shook his head, apparently determining any response as the only man present would cost him more than it would gain.

"Hello everyone. Am I interrupting?" a hesitant new voice sounded from a hallway behind Kashiwagi and Touko. Yasuna motioned for the person to come join them and the two guests turned to greet the new addition.

"Not at all Alice…" Suguru's voice trailed off as he was turned and was confronted with a very different person than he had expected. The 'Alice' he knew was androgynous, barely pubescent with unruly brown hair and, when not at school, generally dressed in clothing that, like his body for the most part, didn't confirm gender either way. He had, of course, seen Alice dressed more formally as a girl, had even gone out to social events with Alice attached conveniently to his arm in "girl mode" many times, but always Suguru was able to quite happily cling to the albeit subtle but pleasantly enjoyable "boy flavor" of this remarkably ambiguous child. There was no such flavor in the young one before him, despite it clearly being the same person.

Like her older sister this new girl was dressed in a skirt and white top, but the similarities ended there. In this case, the blouse was ruffled along a line that came from the girl's covered shoulders and dipped down to curve along the top of the bodice. Barely translucent material covered the space between, ascending up to the neck where the blouse formed a collar. Around her neck, dangling from a thin chain under the translucent material but clearly visible through it, was a simple silver cross on a chain. The blouse cinched at the waist, hugging it for emphasis when compared to her hips. While she wasn't exactly curvy as high school girls of her age would often go, the sense that she was decidedly a "she" was pronounced by her lithe stature, her clear, delicate skin…and something else.

Although he academically knew to expect it given what he had been told, Suguru noted for the first time what should have been the disturbing signs, from his perspective at least, of breast development; still early development, yes, and apparently easily masked by a Hanadera uniform given the child's alter ego he had seen only two weeks before, but now obvious and unmistakably real given the nature of the blouse she was wearing. Complementing the top was a floral pattern skirt with pink, orange and white flowers which descended to above the knee. Finishing off the outfit, and the remarkable effect, were thin white tights reminiscent of the bodice material of the top and black shoes.

Enhancing the feminine effect even more than her body, however, was her face and hair. Like her body, her face exuded a woman-child aura, which was further emphasized by what was framing it; the most perplexing puzzle piece of all- her hair. Despite Suguru having seen him…her…whatever!…just a few weeks ago with at most shoulder length curls, now her brown hair was tinted with a hint of red and ran in gentle waves down to her mid-back. Adding to this amazing feature were feathers in soft autumn colors which complimented the skirt woven intricately along the hair's length on both sides of her face. The reds, browns, and oranges accentuated her natural coloration remarkably, and integrated seamlessly with her outfit. The 'maturing child' effect of the whole package left Suguru, said child's long-time mentor, stunned. Suguru knew Alice's true nature, yet looking at her now he found himself grasping for signs of familiar masculinity to cling to.

Suguru turned back briefly to look at Yasuna, who apparently had been regarding him with a highly amused expression. She simply winked once they made eye contact and then quickly turned back to her sister. "Nice of you to finally join us, Oneechan."

Alice's expression went from uncertain to what could only be described as playful as she watched the expressions progress on Suguru's face. She bounced into the room, quite literally given her movements were done in a way that caused her hair to flow with her movements...movements that exuded grace and no little amount of sensuousness despite her more childlike than mature frame. She smiled broadly as she came up to Suguru and attached herself to Suguru's left arm. "Welcome back, Suguru-sama. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting so long. I hope you won't be too upset at me." This last was said looking up past Suguru's shoulder into his eyes with a slightly pouty and clearly contrite look.

Yasuna was watching as Suguru blinked a few times and swallowed. _Come on, Prince Charming. You said you wanted an attention-getting distraction, and she's giving you precocious Lolita in all her glory. Don't you dare ruin Alice's performance after all the work she put into it. _Knowing she couldn't do anything to rescue Suguru from himself at this point, Yasuna turned her eyes to Touko to see how the test audience was doing. _So much for her supposed much vaunted facial control, _she thought with amusement_. I think the poor child is going to pop a blood vessel. There's no doubt she's hooked. Come on Suguru, don't blow it!_

To Suguru's credit, he recovered from the shock remarkably fast, his face slipping back from surprise to his usual cool expression. "Not at all, Alice-chan," Suguru answered with a warm smile, smoothly lifting a hand to gently coax back some errant hair that had strayed into Alice's face as she moved into the room. "You look marvelous today."

Alice giggled as she backed away from Suguru, ending up standing neat to Touko. "Why thank you, Suguru-sama," she replied with an adorable curtsy, turning then to face Touko and settling into a more formal stance, standing straight with her arms coming together in front of her. "Suguru-sama said he'd be bringing his cousin as well. I'm Arisugawa Arisu, 16 years old. The name comes from the English, so those who can pronounce it as Alice usually do so. I am deeply honored to meet Suguru-sama's relative and hope we can be friends." Alice then bowed to emphasize her words said in very formal, aristocratic Japanese.

Touko's face could only be described as well-controlled during Alice's introduction. She responded in kind once Alice had straightened from her bow. "Thank you for your gracious hospitality, Arisugawa-san. My name is Matsudaira Touko, 15 years old. It appears we'll have plenty of time in Suguru oniisama's car to get to know each other better," Touko replied noncommittally yet diplomatically, also bowing when she was done speaking.

"I'm looking forward to it very much, Matsudaira-san. You are very kind to someone you know so little about. I'm looking forward to sharing the drive up with you. I'm sure you have a lot of questions, and I'll do my best to answer them," Alice assured Touko with a renewed smile. "Now, if you will excuse me as I go retrieve the things I left at the base of the stairs, we can get on our way. I am sorry I delayed your progress more than was necessary." She then turned away from Touko and moved gracefully back down the hall and out of sight.

"I can certainly see why she was delayed," Touko commented absently in the direction the girl had gone. "The feather weaving in her hair must have taken hours. I've never seen it done so elegantly in my life, and I know a lot of image-conscious women."

"It's the first time she's ever done that, although she's wanted to do it for a while," Yasuna shared. "We've been working on it just about since sunrise."

"I can imagine," Touko mused, then shook her head as she turned her attention fully to Yasuna. "Did you braid them in? It's impressive work"

"Oh no," Yasuna waved her hands indicating denial. "I didn't do anything but watch, hold a few clips, and give my thoughts here or there. We brought in one of our estheticians who specializes in feather weaving and complex hair design to get her going. She'll have to maintain it, though, so it'll be interesting to see what it looks like by week's end."

"Your esthetician?"

"Ōkabamadara Entertainment Capital Group is part of our family's portfolio," Yasuna said with a shrug. "The performance division is our pride and joy, and we have a lot of resources to make sure our performers, whether it be stage or screen, look their best."

Touko nodded, seemingly filing away that piece of information. "Makes sense. You do have a lovely estate. Suguru-san was very tight lipped about this little detour, so it was a pleasant surprise to see this oasis appear when we came out of the trees."

"It's a sizable compound and much of it is wooded," Yasuna explained as her hand waved in the direction out the door, "although there are a few satellite houses in addition to the main one where live many of the staff as well as my uncle and his family. If we had more time, I would gladly give you a tour if you wished it, but I suspect right now you will want to be on your way as soon as my sister returns. Perhaps on your way back down?"

"Perhaps," Touko replied, again noncommittally. At that moment, Alice returned with a small bag in one hand and a violin case in the other; a small purse slung over her shoulder. Beside her was the male servant they had seen initially, now carrying an additional small bag.

"Alice-chan," Suguru offered after having hung back in silence while Yasuna and Touko spoke, "let me take you back out to the car and we'll load your bags. Touko-chan, if you would like to speak with Arisugawa-san a little more, feel free as it will take us a little time to rearrange things in the trunk." With that, Suguru, Alice, and the servant moved in the direction the door. As Alice made to exit the door, she turned briefly to smile at Touko, waving one hand slightly, before disappearing out of sight.

*****PGBR*****

(POV: Matsudaira Touko)

Touko heard Yasuna chuckle as she said in regards to the servant's recent words, "She apologizes to Matsudaira-san but not you, Kashiwagi-san. Certain things in the universe are indeed constant. It appears you'll be unable to buy a break from either of your lady travelling companions."

As Touko watched Suguru's response to the words, she couldn't help but feel amused despite her tight control over her emotions and expressions. _This Arisugawa Yasuna seems likable enough, but what of her little sister? And I still don't know what connection they have to Oniisama and why we're even here._

"Hello everyone. Am I interrupting?" Touko heard a voice say from behind her. She turned around to see the source of the voice and was presented with a young girl only a little larger than Touko, likely close to Touko's own age. She clearly had placed a lot of effort into her appearance today, although her initial uncertain smile didn't seem to convey vanity. Much the opposite in fact as her nervous brown eyes seemed to dart from Yasuna to Touko and then to Suguru.

_Great, another girl who wears her emotions for all the world to see. Given her status, she's probably some unholy mix of Yumi-sama and Kikuyo-san._

"Not at all Alice…," Touko heard Suguru reply. He seemed ready to say more, but didn't. Touko looked over at her cousin and was perplexed to see a surprised look on his face.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Oneechan." This time it was Yasuna's voice that broke the odd silence. Although Touko wasn't watching her, it was clear from her inflection that something was greatly amusing the woman.

What happened next stunned Touko out of her usual tight control. Out of the corner of her eye, she sensed movement from the new girl and turned to track the girl's entrance into the room. Her movements were more childish than adult and her expression now playful and confident. Touko was then shocked as the brown-eyed girl attached herself to Suguru's arm and said while looking up into his eyes with what, for most outsiders, would seem an adorable look, "Welcome back, Suguru-sama. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting so long. I hope you won't be too upset at me."

_Who does this girl think she is and where does she get off being this familiar with Oniisama?_

As Touko worked to get her expressions back under control, she was further surprised to see Suguru's initial confused look shift into gentleness of all things! "Not at all, Alice-chan," Touko watched Suguru answer with a smile and a hand movement across the girl's face that Touko felt certain conveyed genuine affection. "You look marvelous today," he added, further confounding Touko's attempt to regain her center.

While Touko was still struggling, she watched as Alice giggled as she backed away from Suguru, ending up standing next to her. "Why thank you, Suguru-sama," The girl replied with a perfect curtsy, turning then to face Touko's direction.

Given she was now in the center of attention, Touko drew on reserves of strength that made her the actress she was, forcing her emotions to behave and her face to conform to her wishes. The new girl introduced herself in very proper fashion and Touko replied in kind. When the introductions were over and the girl glided back the way she had come, Touko had a few moments to process her initial thoughts behind her tight emotion mask as she made mindless conversation with the older sister.

_This girl is well bred, of that I can't argue. She is very pretty, too, and despite her apparent vapidness seems nice enough. I suppose she could be a good match for Suguru given she's not exactly voluptuous…but she's still a girl and Suguru is gay! And if he's not, then he's betrothed to Sachiko oneesama! I know he cares for Sachiko-sama, so what is going on here? You bet I have questions!_

Over the next few minutes she got a few more questions answered courtesy of the woman who had greeted them. _Ōkabamadara __Entertainment Capital Group certainly explains the money. They finance a lot of the talent in Japan as well as own the venues where they perform. If they trace back as a cadet branch of the historical imperial Arisugawa line, then their status is at least equal to ours. So again, what is the link they have with Oniisama?_

With this thought, she watched as said cousin walked out the door with Alice and a servant. _Well, I'm only going to be here another few minutes at most and the older sister seems pretty good natured. I may as well ask some questions. _"So, Arisugawa-san. How is it that you came to meet Kashiwagi-san?"

Yasuna turned from looking at the now closed door to regard Touko with a wry smile and a slight shrug. "Unfortunately, I'm not much help explaining that. I know him through Alice."

"I see," Touko responded, smoothing her skirt to cover her nervousness at her next statement. "They seem close."

Yasuna chuckled. "You seem surprised."

Touko couldn't help but furrow her brow as she considered her next words. Her frustration emboldened her. "I'll be honest, I am very much so. Are you aware Suguru-san is betrothed?"

Yasuna's response to this was completely unexpected, and took Touko aback. She giggled, so much so that tears threatened to come out of her eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm just not the best one to be holding my own in this conversation. Please, I need to get you back out to those two. Let me just say that yes, I am quite aware Kashiwagi-san is betrothed. I also know it's to the only child of the Ogasawara direct line." Yasuna guided Touko to the door and opened it before Touko could say anything else. "I'll just finish by saying that I have come to know Suguru-kun pretty well over the past year and I can only hope that not even _my_ little sister is _that_ desperate." She then motioned Touko out the door, smiling with eyes twinkling yet also clearly indicating she had no more to say for now. Touko was left with her own highly perplexing thoughts for a while as everyone said their goodbyes, the travelers got back into the car, and Suguru departed the estate in the same manner they had come.

* * *

*****Author's Notes*****

For those who read my earlier MSGM story, Looking In, yes this is part of the same storyline. Like with Looking In, my goal is to tell my story while staying faithful to the MSGM canon as defined by the anime. Concepts from the light novels may enter into the story, but I only hold myself to the anime.

If I can tell this story and still leave Touko intact for the events of Season IV, I'll call myself successful. By far, Touko will be the primary character in point-of-view terms. Touko really IS this story. The other main character, although we specifically will never get inside her head this time around, is Arisugawa Alice. I challenged myself to write a MSGM story without having Alice narrate it. So far, so good! Other point of view characters will be Yumi, Yuuki, and Suguru.

Finally, I've been working on this story for months, since March in fact. I had intended to wait to publish it until all chapters were written (currently six are). Instead, with Celtic's lovely Foundation story and soon another writer about to take on this dear girl, I decided I wanted to be part of the 'Summer of Alice'. I'm glad to see her getting out so much these days. :-)


	2. Fooling an Actress

**Shepherds Watching Over Us**

Who watches the lambs when they vacation amongst wolves?

* * *

**Fooling an Actress**

2nd year, Early August  
First Monday of Summer Vacation

The return drive to the Kan-etsu Expressway was uneventful. For once, Suguru actually seemed focused on the act of driving, whether due to concern for the new passenger or a desire for an excuse to stay out of any conversation Touko couldn't be sure. Given Alice's previous vivaciousness, Touko had feared an obnoxious chatterbox emanating from the back seat for the rest of the journey. To her surprise, however, Alice seemed quite happy to sit silently and appreciate the view out her window despite her certainly having seen it innumerable times before.

_She did say I could ask questions. She's apparently standing by her words and letting me lead the conversation. Either that or she's hoping we'll continue in silence. Interesting._

Once the car was comfortably on the expressway again, heading northbound in the passing lane toward the Fujioka Junction and beyond to Gunma Prefecture, Touko decided it was time to begin her inquisition.

_At least she's expecting it, _she thought as he decided to get directly to the point.

"Arisugawa-san, I'll admit to being curious how you know Suguru-san. You two seem quite familiar."

Suguru coughed at this frank assessment and the direct nature of the statement, although amazingly enough for him he otherwise stayed silent. Touko heard a chuckle from the back seat, followed a few moment's later by Alice's response. "Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, Matsudaira-san, and sometimes not so much. Let's just say I'm closely related to a member of the Hanadera Student Council, someone who was involved last year as well and who came to know Suguru-sama very well when he was Student Body President. It was through this relation that Suguru-sama became involved with our family, and therefore with Yasuna and I."

Alice paused to allow Touko time to process this first answer before continuing on. "I'll make it easier for you by predicting your next question. Why am I coming with you today?" Touko nodded and Alice continued. "The Hanadera Student Council is having a retreat this week. I have no interest in camping which is what they're doing, and anyway it's clearly shaping up to be a man's outing, but I expressed a desire to hang around the area with the idea I could perhaps meet up with the guys occasionally under more civilized circumstances. Suguru-sama shared privately with me that he was going up, supposedly in an advisory role although apparently the current members of the Student Council don't know he's going. I would liken his involvement more to harassment than advising having been familiar with these dynamics for a year now."

Touko could hear the grin through which this last was said, and she found herself smiling likewise. Suguru's tendency to meddle in affairs no longer his, whether at school or elsewhere, was rather legendary.

"Where are you staying," Touko found herself asking as she admired the approaching mountains.

"I told the boys I'd be staying in a hotel, but currently I'm planning to stay at Suguru-sama's chalet up in the mountains above town. I understand from him that it's not too far out of town by car or bus. Curiously, it's remarkably close to the campground the boys were encouraged to stay at by Suguru-sama several months ago before his graduation when the retreat was being planned." During the pause after this was said, Touko could see Alice's hand reach out and flick a finger into Suguru's shoulder. "Anyway, my family doesn't have a house in Gunma Prefecture and, while I really could have rented a house or even stayed at a hotel like I told the boys, I felt comfortable accepting Suguru-sama's hospitality. My driver who went up yesterday with my things is on what amounts to a paid vacation, staying in a hotel and off doing his own thing with his wife as long as he's responsive to my needs in a reasonable timeframe if I want to go somewhere and Suguru-sama isn't available."

_Or if I need a rescue_. Alice didn't actually say this last, and Touko wasn't sure if it was just wishful thinking on her part, but it certainly seemed implied. _First Sachiko oneesama, now Suguru oniisama. Both my most beloved near-age relatives are losing their minds over a girl at the same time, and doing stupid things because of it. Maybe I should have gone to Canada so I didn't have to be witness to it. It would certainly be less painful on all different levels._

With these thoughts on her mind, Touko turned her head to actually look at the girl's face and allowed her skepticism to show. She then turned to Suguru to say, "Suguru-san, what are you up to?"

Suguru maintained his eyes on the road as he said, "Up to? Touko-chan, can't I offer my hospitality to the relative of a close kohai. Must I always have ulterior motives?"

"Not always, but my experience is that you usually have something to gain."

"You wound me, Touko-chan. I can honestly say that my motives in bringing Alice-chan are as innocent as my motives for bringing you."

"Maybe, but then again _we're_ related," Touko explained pointedly. "I also don't attach myself to your arm and look all doe-eyed, and you don't comment on my looks. In fact, now that I think about it," her expression turned accusatory toward the man driving the car, "I don't think I've seen you make such a sincere comment about a woman's looks in my memory. Not even in regards to Sachiko-oneesama. You really meant what you said back there, I could tell."

"In my defense you're not around me all the time," Suguru said while shifting in his seat.

_He's nervous_, Touko noted before drilling in. "I suppose not. Still, I know enough about you now to find it curious when you start noticing a girl."

"If it helps," Alice interjected with apparent amusement at the interplay between the two cousins, "I know all about Suguru-sama's amorous preferences. There's no sense in dancing around that issue for my benefit. You can feel free to let loose with each other uncensored."

Touko spun around to regard the grinning girl in the back seat with narrowed eyes. "You think this is funny? Do you realize what you're messing with?"

Alice's impish expression moderated somewhat under Touko's gaze. She looked briefly at Suguru, or the back of his seat given her vantage point behind him, apparently assessing if he was inclined to say anything. Apparently satisfied with what she saw, Alice turned back to regard Touko.

"Absolutely, Matsudaira-san. In fact, if I'm to succeed at what I've been asked to do, I'm depending on it."

Touko was certain she was missing a major piece to the puzzle, perhaps several. "Please don't toy with me, Arisugawa-san," Touko said, allowing the true depth of her annoyance to show. "I would appreciate it if you would say what you mean."

"I'm sorry, Matsudaira-san," Alice said, wilting and now looking quite contrite. "I'll admit to being rather coy, but my intended target for it is Suguru-sama. Its part of the game we play. You're catching it, though, and that really isn't fair to you. I'll share some of my cards, but first off we have a long drive ahead and by the end of it I have a feeling we'll either be good friends or sworn enemies. Either way I'd offer that we should be on given name basis. Please call me Alice." The feathered girl smiled tentatively again, then bowed as best she could to convey her respect again despite now being in a cramped car.

Touko was again surprised by this girl. _My first take on her was that she was a socialite airhead, a rich and vapid, possibly even gold-digging version of that moe-blob Yumi-sama, but I was clearly wrong. I'm feeling like I'm in a game of chess with her and I've already lost my queen without even realizing it. Why, Oniisama! I have enough conniving girls to deal with already without this one too. _"I'm still waiting for my answer, Alice-san," Touko pointed out, noncommittal but indicating by her use of given name that she was listening.

"As you wish, Touko-san." Alice was still uncomfortable, but apparently took heart from Touko's positive signal. "I am quite aware of Suguru-sama's betrothal to Ogasawara Sachiko. I know quite a bit about her, although I've never had the honor of meeting her and I admit to finding her greatly intimidating. Trust me, I've no desire to start a family squabble or to permanently find myself on the bad side of such a remarkable woman…in fact I've thought a lot about how to avoid something like that happening once I agreed to Suguru-sama's scheme."

"Scheme?" Touko exclaimed, then turned to face Suguru. "See, I knew you were plotting something!" Triumph marked Touko's face.

"Yes I am, Touko-chan. I'd like to bring you in on it if I could just be sure you're thinking clearly about it," Suguru responded cryptically.

"Thinking clearly! This after your little display back at Alice-san's estate?" the agitated girl accused.

"Our goal is to be shepherds, Touko-san," Alice added helpfully, looking as if that should clarify everything for Touko.

"Will you please just say what you mean, Alice-san. Really, I'm tired of being played with."

"I'm not doing a very good job of this, am I Suguru-sama?" Alice directed at the driver via the rear-view mirror. By now, Touko had twisted her body in her seat so she could maintain Alice in her gaze without straining her neck. Touko wasn't sure what passed between the two via the mirror, but she saw Alice look down at her lap thoughtfully before looking back up uncertainly at Touko.

"In many ways, you know a lot more than I do," Alice began, tentatively maintaining Touko's gaze. "What I know is that Suguru-sama came to me a few weeks ago concerned that his betrothed, Ogasawara-sama, and her close friend at school, Yumi-sama, were going to summer at Ogasawara-sama's home in the cluster of wealthy family summer homes in northern Gunma Prefecture. He expressed concern that Yumi-sama would be out of her element, a lamb among wolves as they say. Given what I know of her brother, Yuuki-kun, as well as my unfortunate familiarity with the type of girls he described that she'll be dealing with up there, I didn't need a very active imagination to understand and share his concern."

Touko nodded guardedly to encourage Alice to continue.

"I never summered or wintered up there, and when I socialize I generally do it mostly within music circles. I like being around professionals who at the very least share my passion for making music. I've spent a goodly part of my life being privately tutored and honestly enjoy being out of country more than in it. To summarize, I'm an unknown. That said, unlike the other unknown coming this week, Yuuki-kun's sister, I'm not a lamb in this particular pasture."

"I think I finally see where this is going," Touko admitted thoughtfully. "You're offering yourself as a distraction. Oniisama, did you really come up with this idea on your own?"

"Well, I'll admit to being prompted by you. I was inspired by your cancellation of your Canada plans."

"If you think I did that out of concern for Yumi-sama," Touko responded immediately with derision clear in her voice and on her face, "you're more of an idiot than I thought when I first heard about all this."

"What about Sa-chan?"

Touko grimaced at the question. "She's being an idiot, too," she answered cagily.

"You're worried about her, though," the young man pressed.

"Yes, but don't humor yourself that our reasons are the same. Sachiko-oneesama being up here isn't the problem. She belongs up here. The problem is her foolishness in perpetuating that mistake of hers…in bringing her. I don't understand how someone so useless has managed to wrap both of you around her finger like she has." Touko sighed in frustration.

"Be that as it may, Touko-chan, Yumi-san is coming. She and Sa-chan are following us later today. Whether you like it or not, Yumi-san is involved and if Yumi-san gets hurt, Sa-chan will be hurt. The sharks are going to smell blood, which will just heighten their frenzy," Suguru pointed out logically, adding another predatory metaphor.

"I'm one of the sharks, Oniisama."

"So you say. But unlike the others, you won't bite if there's any chance Sa-chan will be hurt. I don't trust that of the others."

"Perhaps," Touko allowed.

"Hence why I asked Alice-chan to come along," Suguru inserted smoothly. "She's a distraction, as you say. If we integrate Alice-chan into the events, if things fall apart she and I could perform a display even more overt than what you saw at the Arisugawa estate. If Sa-chan isn't there, the rumor excitement by itself will draw attention away from Yumi-san. If she is there, well an enraged Sa-chan is much preferable to a humiliated Yumi-san. Sa-chan can take care of herself, and I have thick skin. It certainly wouldn't be the first time she's slapped me," he said absently rubbing his cheek, "nor would it likely be the last. In the end, I'll have you to help explain things afterwards if it comes to that."

_That assumes I'm inclined to defend you given my own concerns about the two of you together. _Aloud she asked, "And where do you think I fit into all this?" She knew full well the importance of her involvement for such a plan to work and was completely unwilling to let Suguru out of verbalizing his request.

"You need to be Alice-chan's friend, or at least act the part and integrate her into the social events of the week."

Alice finally piped up again into the conversation, sounding more comfortable now that Touko was clearly warming to the conversation. "If you don't want to be primarily associated with me the whole time, you really just have to introduce me. Even then, you can blame me on Suguru-sama. I have little doubt that I can latch onto the alpha girl as a follower and be on my own after that. I know the type. All I need is the initial introduction."

Touko turned back to regard Alice. "You're pretty confident of yourself, Alice-san," Touko challenged as she considered all she had learned about the girl. "I'll allow that you struggled with me because you need my help. That said, you are performing for a tough audience…and for a whole week. Do you really think you can pull this off?"

Alice shrugged. "I think so, and even if I don't that in itself will act as a distraction for your friends. We won't know for sure until it all plays out. As for confidence, I only seem that way right now. It's easy to be confident when you don't have much invested. Honestly, as long as I can avoid starting a family war with the Ogasawara's, I have the least risk in all this. When the week is done, I leave. You two are the ones with the family ties to these girls, and the nearby summer homes and shared social activities. My main goal is to just not mess things up for you. As Sugura-sama says, I'm the final option, one we hope won't be exercised at all. In emergency, break glass as they say." This last Alice added while miming an axe hitting her head.

Touko had to smile as she turned back in her seat to process it all, admiring the view of the Three Mountains of Jomo on her side of the car as the freeway began its steady rise into the mountains that dotted the backbone of Japan. The conversation combined with the scenery contributed to Touko feeling even remotely positive for the first time since Suguru had broken the news of Sachiko oneesama's summer plans. "You know, this is crazy enough that it might work," she admitted to the others. "That said, if I'm going to have anything to do with it, I'm taking charge of you, Alice-san. Oniisama, you stay out of it." Touko waited to see the others nod.

"First off," Touko began again as she noted she had Alice's complete attention, "that outfit is cute and very stylish, but it'll stand out up there. I hope you brought some more conservative things?"

Alice smiled. "Oh, absolutely. I chose this outfit to make a point and to tease Suguru-sama."

Touko could see Alice wink into the rear-view mirror, and her concerns about what exactly the relationship was between the two rose again. _If there was something truly illicit going on between these two, I'm sure they wouldn't be so overt. There's still a piece in play I'm not seeing. Fair enough, I'm not showing all my cards either..._

"Well, it appears you succeeded there, which I hope means you have a good sense of the needs of each occasion. Hopefully we can spend some time going through the things you brought so I can make sure you really are gauging everything right."

Alice nodded again, continuing to regard Touko earnestly_. _

_Her willingness to trust reminds me of Yumi-sama, _Touko thought_, and I worry for this one now, too. I just hope it's due to Oniisama vouching for me to her and not something she'll do when she's with me this week. The other's will chew her up and spit her out if she's this open._

Touko sighed, deciding there was no sense borrowing trouble. Events were being set in motion and only time would tell how they would play out. She turned to Suguru and began again. "Just remember my goal is Sachiko oneesama's happiness. If their interests diverge, Yumi-sama will be on her own as far as I'm concerned. You'll have to depend on your new girl after that, although given I'm taking charge of her I promise I won't actively set her up against her will even if it might benefit my own goals. If Alice-san is stupid, though, I'll wash my hand of her on the spot."

"Fair enough," Suguru replied. Touko also noted Alice nod again. She was reassured of Alice's full understanding more by her silent wary acknowledgement than she would have by a lot of flowery words.

Touko decided to change the subject to something less charged. "So, Alice-san, if we're going to work together so closely we should know a little more about each other. I've attended Lillian Academy for Girls in Tokyo my whole childhood. Your necklace suggests you're Christian and you mentioned a family connection to Hanadera which is nearby. Have you ever visited Lillian?"

*****PGBR*****

_What a curious girl,_ Touko thought as she pondered the events of the drive up. Suguru had just turned the car into the drive that led to her grandfather's vacation house, the traditional summering venue for her immediate family. It was a much simpler house than the place she lived at in Tokyo, although still spacious enough to accommodate the family.

_It's like Sachiko oneesama's place up here, adequate but not gaudy or ostentatious. I'm glad we have no plans to change that._

Touko stretched as the car came to a stop. When done, she exclaimed, "I need to get out and move a bit."

"Amen," the occupant of the cramped back seat of the sporty car sounded in agreement.

"Alice-san," Touko began again, turning to face the girl in back, "please stay with us a little while and relax a bit. Oniisama is usually in no rush to leave when we come up here given his place is a lot more rustic. He likes his comforts," Touko added with a wink.

Alice had nodded at the offer, but then added conspiratorially and with a smirk to Touko, "I've noticed that," in response to Touko's final comment.

"Hey you two! You can't blame a gentleman for appreciating the finer things in life," Suguru explained with exaggerated dignity.

"No, I cannot. Nor would I if one were present." Touko said with a sweet smile back at Suguru, feeling in that carefree moment happier than she had since…since Sachiko's grandmother had died and Touko had tried to comfort her beloved oneesama only to learn the one Sachiko needed wasn't her, but rather was Yumi.

_Why is it again that I'm protecting Yumi-sama? She has no business being up here._ Her love of Sachiko was straining over the older girl's recent choices. Straining a lot.

Touko shook herself out of her suddenly less enjoyable or charitable thoughts and brought herself back to the pleasant present. She was home. Home with her dearest relative, her grandfather. Home with her closest confidant and friend despite all his faults, her cousin Suguru. And home with this new girl, a girl she found oddly fascinating.

_I'll say one thing for her, she certainly is distracting._

Touko opened her door and got out, moving the seat-back forward to allow Alice room to depart the car as well. Touko watched as Alice, too, stretched and then smoothed out her blouse and skirt before reaching back in to the car to retrieve her violin and purse. Alice had explained some about the importance of the violin during the drive, insomuch that it belonged to her father, and it was clear she didn't intend to leave it outside and out of her sight for a moment.

From her current angle standing behind Alice who was crawling into the car's back seat, Touko had to acknowledge the girl's appearance, at least at her current stage of development, really did seem to cater to what Suguru would likely find interesting….something she still found troubling.

_She's got a boyish look to her with those narrow hips and small, early breasts. I guess it's a good thing she's tutored,_ Touko thought as she considered the things she'd seen even at gentle Lillian. _If she were attending school, she'd doubtless be teased for being such a late bloomer. Hopefully she's got thick skin since I can imagine there might be some remarks this week along those lines if she's not careful. In fact, she'll be lucky if they keep it so superficial._

Touko's reverie was broken by the arrival of Kasuga Daisuke, the caretaker of the house. "Matsudaira-ojousama, welcome! It's truly good to see you again. Kashiwagi-sama, please let me help you with the bags." The clearly healthy middle-aged gentleman, only slightly graying at the temple, moved to assist Suguru who had the trunk open and was removing luggage. Before long Suguru and Daisuke were laden with Touko's bags while the remaining articles, Suguru's and Alice's, were rearranged back in the trunk. Alice moved over to close the trunk for Suguru, relieving him of the action given his full hands. Touko was surprised to see that this time Suguru made no attempt to thank the girl, simply nodding gruffly and turning to walk toward the house along with Daisuke. It was just one action, but for some reason it stuck out to Touko as odd.

_There is still something between these two that hasn't been explained, _Touko decided._ Well, I guess we all have our secrets. _Touko walked to where Alice was standing, looking around her and apparently admiring the grounds.

Touko smiled to Alice when the other girl's eyes came back to rest on her. "It's getting hot. Can I coax you into the house where we can freshen up and maybe get something cool to drink?"

"That would be lovely, Touko-san. While I'm not exactly interested in sitting down right now after the long drive, I do need to use the bathroom."

Touko chuckled. "So do I actually, which is why I'm trying to shepherd you into the house. It's air-conditioned, I should add, so it'll be a nice refuge this afternoon unlike what you can expect up at Oniisama's place"

"I didn't think it got very hot up here."

"Not terribly. Still, 32 degrees can be oppressive if you want to take a nap. I've often been glad for it being cooler. Air conditioning is uncommon up here, but Grandfather had it installed years back. So, shall we go?" Touko reached out a hand to beckon Alice, the hand that would naturally match with the one which Alice was not using to carry her violin. Alice took it hesitantly, her face unsure.

_I really like how she has status and is capable, yet she's not full of herself_, Touko thought as she smiled back at the girl and then began leading her along to the house. _I must admit it's refreshing._

*****PGBR*****

"What an absolutely lovely home!" Alice exclaimed, holding her hands together to emphasize her enthusiastic expression as Touko completed the tour of the ground floor. "You are so lucky to have a place like this to visit with your family!"

"Really, Alice-san, it's not that exciting," Touko shrugged and looked away, uncomfortable of the praise and still unsure whether it, and Alice's apparently characteristic bubbliness, was feigned or not. "It's not much of a place compared to what I'm sure you're used to."

Alice dropped her hands so she could take Touko's in hers, drawing Touko's eyes back to hers. "Touko-san, I've been a lot of places and lived in much less glamorous circumstances than my grandfather's house," Alice said cryptically. "Mainly, though, I can feel the love in this place. It's exudes the caring felt by the people who have lived or visited here. Don't minimize that."

Touko's discomfort remained, but she was now firmly convinced at the very least of Alice's veracity. She found herself unable to draw back or break the contact when confronted by Alice's fervent sincerity, and she desperately needed to interrupt the emotions she felt tugging on her. She said the first words that came to mind. "You're a strange girl, Alice-san," shaking her head in disbelief.

Alice's smile faded a bit and she released Touko's hands as her shoulders drooped at these words. She looked down saying, "I've been told that before, usually by people who didn't intend it very flatteringly."

Touko sensed again that perplexing undercurrent she felt previously when Alice closed the trunk for Suguru. Something was clearly troubling Alice, but Touko had no idea what it could be. Despite her carefree exterior, Touko sensed Alice cared deeply about what those around her thought about her.

_She has depth…and she also has secrets she doesn't want known. I can certainly relate. She hides behind the exterior of the bubbly airhead socialite like I hide behind the shield of not caring. Her facade is already slipping, though, which given what she is planning this week isn't a very good sign._

"The world is filled with shallow people, Alice-san," Touko found herself saying as she placed a comforting hand on Alice's shoulder. "People for whom flattery cascades like a mountain spring, and in all cases is meant only for advantage. Their words, pleasant or hurtful, have less value than the air they hang in. If you're going to make it through this week, you need to remember that."

Alice nodded as she looked back up into Touko's eyes. "Thank you, Touko-san," Alice said, coaxing a smile back to her face. "I politely called you kind back at the estate, but I'm coming to realize how prophetic my words are. You really are a sweet girl, Touko-san."

Touko's knew it was inappropriate given the shimmering in Alice's eyes, knew the moment was clearly tender for the other girl, but the thought of her being called sweet caused her to giggle and she really didn't care to hold it in. Touko sensed it was time for a tougher stance with the girl, anyway, or else she wasn't going to survive the week. Alice's expression turned quizzical; although it was clear she wasn't hurt by the response per se. Still, Alice clearly wasn't sure what the laughter at that moment could possibly be about.

"I'm sorry, Alice-san," Touko said, wiping her eyes. "I get described that way occasionally, but I can't help but find as ridiculous the idea of me being described as sweet. I'm anything but. I'm actually a pretty mean person when it comes down to it. If we have time, I'll tell you about how I almost managed to get one of my best friends expelled from school simply because it was a splendid opportunity to display my acting skills." Touko regarded Alice again with her best ambivalent smile. "Don't assume I'm any different from the others. Remember that I'm a shark too, Alice-san. I suggest you not bleed."

Alice didn't flinch from Touko's gaze, though, as her expression too turned serious. "Perhaps; and thank you for the warning. I'll take it to heart. Still, I'm left to wonder who you were saving when you 'almost' managed to get this friend of yours expelled. It sounds a little like what we'll be potentially doing to poor Suguru-sama in an effort to save Sachiko-sama and her petite soeur."

Touko smile faded and she looked closely at Alice's face. She saw no sense of guile, no sense she know more than she was saying. "Suguru-san didn't tell you the story, did he?"

"About the friend you mentioned? No, he didn't. I'm only speaking to what I've learned about you over the past three hours. You don't seem like one to sell a friend down the river, but if they'd benefit from watching you take silver for their life, you'll play the role and make them believe you did it and will happily live on the profit from their misery. It seems like a lonely existence."

Those last words struck way too close to home coming from someone whom she still barely knew. _Time to change the subject_. "Alice-san, you promised you'd play for me once we got into town and out of Oniisama's car. Shall we go out to the main room and let you break out this violin or yours?" Touko placed a well-practiced smile on her face as she said this.

Alice smiled likewise in return, signaling she understood the subject change and was fine with it. She then turned to follow Touko back to the front of the house.

For the next two hours, Alice played her violin. At first, Alice played alone. As the afternoon wore on, though, Touko found herself inspired to join in. While Touko was by no means a professional musician any more than Alice was a professional actress, it was clear Touko's skills with the same instrument were probably superior to Alice's acting skills.

It was as Touko and Alice were finishing together their latest effort of Pachabel's Canon in D, a piece they discovered early on was a favorite of them both, that they heard applause come from behind them. After having been left to themselves for so long, they were surprised at the response and turned to see where it was coming from.

"Grandfather!" Touko exclaimed as she quickly laid down her own instrument and bounced off her seat to run and embrace an older man with gray hair and goatee standing at the entrance to the sitting room.

"Touko-chan, it is so wonderful to see you again," The kind-looking man said, smiling warmly. "It's been since Christmas, hasn't it? I missed you."

"And I missed you too, Grandfather," Touko said, nestling herself up against her grandfather's chest, arms tightened possessively around his waist.

"It's been years since I've heard you play, young one. This was a marvelous gift for these aging ears. Hopefully you might perform for me more this week; it would give me great joy."

Touko blushed as she looked up at her grandfather's face. "If it would make you happy, I'm sure that can be arranged. You should have asked earlier if you wanted that," Touko chided gently.

The older man leaned back in his granddaughter's embrace to better behold her and shrugged a little. "I didn't want to be a bother. I mean you do come up here as a vacation, so I always wanted to leave you free to determine your own fate when you visit." He reached out a hand to poke one of Touko's signature curls, reminding Touko a little of a cat. She then saw his gaze rise and focus further into the room. "So, will I continue to be graced by the lovely duet with your remarkably gifted friend? I hadn't been told you were bringing a girlfriend to stay with you, but if I get to hear more of this my hospitality is most definitely hers to enjoy."

Touko was surprised to hear this idea she'd been tossing around in her head ever since learning Alice planned to stay with Suguru come out of her grandfather's mouth unbidden. She loosened her hold on her grandfather in order to turn to look in the direction of his gaze. She noted Alice had sat down on the piano bench Touko had vacated and was in the process of placing her violin carefully back in its case. It was pretty clear the girl was uncomfortable.

"We actually weren't sure where she was staying tonight," she confided quietly, just for her grandfather to hear. "She's friends with Suguru oniisama and her original plan was to stay up there with him."

"Oh?" her grandfather's eyes displayed clear surprise. He opened his mouth to say something, but paused before he spoke any words. "Isn't that a bit rustic for her?"

Touko nodded, allowing her amusement to show. _Grandfather is trying desperately to be diplomatic. He's always been the gentle soul, _she thought as she briefly hugged her grandfather harder again._ Don't ever change! _"I should probably introduce you before we go any further," she said aloud, deciding to let events determine what would happen next.

At her grandfather's nod, Touko spun around and firmly took his arm before walking him fully into the room to join the still seated Alice. The young violinist had finished placing her instrument back in its case and was nervously applying rosin to the bow, apparently her version of fidgeting.

"Alice-san, this is my grandfather, Dr Matsudaira Atsushi. Grandfather, this is my friend Arisugawa Alice."

"Forgive me a moment while I put this away," Alice said contritely as she carefully place the bow and rosin back in the case and carefully closed it before standing.

"It's no trouble, Arisugawa-san," Atsushi said gently while Alice did her work. "I know enough about instruments to suspect that one is quite valuable and worth the care you give it."

Alice smiled shyly as she rose to stand before Touko and her grandfather. "It's more than the monetary value, sir. It was my father's." She then curtsied and continued, "Thank you very much for the hospitality your most kind granddaughter has shown me this afternoon. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with her, and especially playing music together. Touko-san," Alice turned her head to regard the girl, "you have a wonderful talent and I hope we can play together again sometime. That said," Alice turned back and continued before Matsudaira-sensei could speak again, "I truly do not wish to be a bother. Please don't burden yourself for my sake given I am quite comfortable with my current arrangements."

"You may be, young lady, but I am not," the patriarch of the Matsudaira Family said firmly. "Your phrasing suggests your father has passed away?"

Alice simply nodded.

"Who is responsible for you now, then?"

Touko smiled sympathetically as she sensed Alice's reticence to answer, knowing it was hopeless to resist her grandfather when he was driven like this.

"That would be my grandfather and my older sister, sir," Alice answered nervously. "My mother has been in Europe since June."

"Does your grandfather know you're planning on sleeping alone with a young man in an isolated house several miles from the nearest town?"

"No sir," Alice answered simply. "He is of ill health and has the weight of responsibility for our business holdings as my sister only recently graduated from college and is slowly assuming her responsibilities. My sister knows of this weekend's plans, but I have a feeling that doesn't count for you." Alice looked down and fidgeted with the hem of her blouse where it overlapped her skirt.

"No, it does not," the older man said firmly and decisively. "Forgive me for being old fashioned, but I've always taken my role as a father very seriously. One of my jobs is to protect the honor, real or imagined, of my daughters. I must believe your father would not mind me exercising his right in this instance. You'll be staying with Touko-chan and I while you are visiting this week. I'll let my grandson know of the change in plans. He and I are on good terms; I'm certain he'll understand. Given his status, this is honestly as much for his honor as yours whether he appreciates it or not. I'll send Daisuke-san out for your things from Suguru-kun's car."

Alice was clearly torn; her trembling indicating her emotions were rising to the surface. _I didn't know about her father being dead,_ Touko thought guiltily. _This must be overwhelming._

Touko released her grandfather's arm and looked up at him as he turned to regard her. "Grandfather, if she's going to be staying with us, I'd like to show Alice-san my room. Would you excuse us, please?"

Atsushi smiled understandingly, recognizing a dismissal when he saw it. "Of course, Touko-chan. I'll let you see to your guest and sort out her sleeping arrangements. I'll speak with Suguru-kun about her things and for contact information so I can inform her grandfather of his daughter's whereabouts this week." He then looked down again to regard Alice, reaching out a hand to run along the feathers woven into her hair along the right side of her face. "I can tell your father and grandfather have much to be proud of, child. Your musicianship is superb, and you clearly have a kind heart. I'll leave you to Touko-chan for now, but I hope you'll find it in that heart to play again for me occasionally while you are here."

Touko could see the tears tracking down Alice's face as she suddenly reached out to embrace the kind old man. Anything Touko might have found disturbing about the action was dispelled by Alice's next words. "I would be happy to, Matsudaira-sama. I know my father would be proud to hear me play, but since he no longer can, I would be honored to play for you in his place. You remind me a great deal of him."

Atsushi placed one hand on Alice's shoulder and with another he gently stroked the girl's hair. "Thank you for saying that, Alice-chan. I would be happy to listen in his stead, although I am sure I could never stand in his place." He squeezed Alice briefly and then gently disengaged her. "I'm sure you have much better things to do than reassure an old man," he said as he looked down at her again. "Now run along with Touko-chan and enjoy the first day of your vacation, child." With one last stroke of Alice's and Touko's heads, one with each hand, he turned around and walked back down the hall and out of sight.

"I'm sorry about that," Touko began when he had left. "I should have warned you my father's father is like a great big teddy bear."

Alice reached into a small pocket of her skirt to retrieve a matching pink handkerchief and wiped her eyes and nose. "That's a good analogy for him, Touko-san. He really does remind me of my father. Not appearance so much as the way he carried himself."

"You must have had an amazing father then," Touko said encouragingly.

"He was amazing. Not perfect, of course, but then who is? But he cared a lot and wanted what was best for me. It's been over four years and I still miss him."

"I'm sorry, Alice-chan," Touko said reassuringly, placing a hand again on her friend's shoulder. She waited to see how the girl would react to the more affectionate honorific, or if she'd even notice in her current state. _She's technically older than I am, I know, but she feels a bit like Kanako-chan; capable but deeply haunted._

Alice finished wiping her face and replaced the handkerchief. "Thank you, Touko-san. I'll be fine." She then made eye contact with Touko before continuing. "I really could use the lady's room for a moment, and then maybe we can either take a walk or find someplace else to talk privately. If you really do want me to stay with you this week, if you really do want me to call you Touko-chan, then there's something I really do need to share about myself." Alice sniffed a little and smiled nervously as she fidgeted again while placing the handkerchief back before continuing. "You mentioned a little while ago that you're a shark and I'd best not bleed. It's best we see if my blood will put you in a frenzy now, because I'm going to bleed around you sooner or later and we should really get it over with."

Touko raised an eyebrow at the renewed metaphor. Alice just shrugged and cocked her head to one side, clearly in control of her emotions again despite having indicated she was prepared to share at least one big secret.

_Maybe this will explain the real connection between Alice and Oniisama_, Touko mused.

"The bathroom?" Alice asked expectantly.

Touko chuckled briefly, realizing she really would have to wait for her curiosity to be satisfied. "Of course, Alice-san. Let's show you the main one upstairs, since that's where you'll be staying regardless of which room we stick you in. We can then take a walk. It's wooded behind the house, so the afternoon heat shouldn't be too oppressive."

"That sounds lovely," Alice shared, and then added enigmatically, "It's easier to bare one's soul while walking through nature."


	3. Playing a Male Role

**Shepherds Watching Over Us**

Who watches the lambs when they vacation amongst wolves?

* * *

**Playing a Male Role**

2nd year, Early August  
First Monday of Summer Vacation

"I've always loved nature and the outdoors more than cities," Alice confided as she examined a cicada clinging at eye level to an alder. "I know the acoustics are usually terrible, and trust me that maintaining tuning is a real pain, but I find outdoor concerts more enjoyable. There's nothing like the ambiance of insects and birds accompanying a string quartet or a small orchestra."

The Matsudaira summer house backed up against a prefectural nature preserve, and the two girls had been wandering slowly into it for about half an hour. It was early afternoon and the temperature was perhaps around 30 degrees with a fair amount of humidity; still far less than down on the Kanto Plain in Tokyo and the surrounding cities. Birds had long since given way to cicadas like the one Alice was examining. The area they were walking was well wooded, making the afternoon heat pleasant in the shade.

"I've always wanted to perform outdoors," Touko shared as she leaned against a nearby tree, poking at a crack in the bark. The unmanicured forest she was in now was teeming with the sounds of life, a clear break from the groomed paths of Lillian. "Many of the traditional Japanese and western plays were originally performed in outdoor theaters. I've studied the science of outdoor voice projection, but never have had a chance to use it in practice yet."

"I'd heard that," Alice agreed as she admired the designs on the wings of the insect still before her. "About outdoor plays, I mean. About 5 years ago I was with my father travelling Europe as he performed. When we were in England, a friend of his brought his son and I to see Hamlet at the Globe in Stratford. It was a remarkable experience. Not just the play, but the ambiance."

"It is a pretty remarkable place," Touko admitted with a truly warm smile, absently picking at a piece of bark. She was clearly in her element talking about plays and play venues. "Grandfather Matsudaira actually took me to England two summers ago when it became clear how passionate I was about acting. We spent three days at Stratford, seeing plays as well as some behind-the-scenes things. I spent an afternoon with the costumers, for example, seeing how they prepared garb for the actors. After that experience, and some others my family has arranged, I imagine that acting will be part of my future in some manner or another."

"I sure hope so," Touko's newest friend agreed. "I hope also that I can see you perform very soon, Touko-san. I have a most dearest of friends who is an operatic performer, and so I can appreciate those for whom the acting muse calls." One of Alice's hands was fingering her silver cross through the thin bodice fabric of her top as she had spoken this last. She smiled as she finished inspecting the winged creature which had caught her eye. "It sounds like your family has supported your art as mine did for me. I'm glad. It's good to have dreams. It's even better when the dreams are attainable." Alice paused a moment before turning from the cicada and regarding Touko again. "You don't have to answer with any details, Touko-san, but I'm curious. Have you had any dreams that were truly dear to you, but which you thought must be impossible?"

Touko wasn't sure where Alice was going with this new line of thought, but she suspected due to the older girl's new seriousness that it was a segueway into whatever discussion she had wanted to have when she suggested a walk back at the house. "I suppose everyone does, Alice-san," Touko answered thoughtfully as she gazed back at the other girl, maintaining her perch against the tree. "I've been around children of families from various backgrounds and means. They all have wanted something they didn't think they could have. Even Sachiko-oneesama, the one you'd think could have anything her heart could possibly desire." _Sachiko is so confused about what she wants that she took on Yumi as her petite soeur. I can just hope it somehow turns out alright in the end._

Alice nodded at the characterization, then bent over to pick up the walking stick she had been using as the two strolled. The feather-woven girl beckoned forward with the stick. Touko pushed herself away from the tree and the two began walking slowly again below the towering canopy. Touko waited patiently for Alice to continue her thoughts.

"I spent most of my life agonizing over something I thought was impossible, but which I needed in order to continue to exist," Alice continued as she maintained her gaze forward. "Do you remember back in the car, shortly after you and Suguru-sama picked me up, that I mentioned I was a close relative to a member of the Hanadera Boy's Academy student council?"

Touko had suspected Alice was going to continue to jump around in the conversations, but this direction was rather unexpected. Rather than admit she was confused, she decided to let Alice keep wandering her way for now. "Um, yes I do. That explained how your family knew Suguru-san. This boy had brought him into your life."

"'Tis true. That said, it was not exactly the truth."

"Oh?"

"The relation is very, very close," Alice admitted before pausing a moment and then adding, "It's me."

Touko stopped walking, and turned to regard Alice who returned her gaze. Touko could feel her brow furrow as she processed what Alice was trying so circumspectly to say. She could tell from Alice's expression that sharing this was taking a lot out of her, but Touko still wasn't sure what exactly was being said. "So let me get this straight," Touko asked after several moments' thought, "you attend Hanadera?"

Alice nodded.

_Oh dear Lord, that explains it all!_ Touko felt herself grin and started giggling again. Unlike the last time when Touko had done this in the house, Alice now looked very unnerved by the response. Touko reached a hand out and grasped Alice's upper arm in an attempt to be reassuring while she composed herself enough to talk again. "I'm sorry, Alice-san," Touko finally said, wiping her eyes with the back of her other hand. "I've been eagerly awaiting my debut in a male role, and here I learn someone for whom acting is a secondary art has been cross-dressing and attending a boy's school for how long?" Touko tightened her grip on the girl's arm to emphasize her next words. "You really are beyond amazing. No wonder Oniisama was able to act so naturally around you back at your estate. How long has he been in on the ruse? And even moreso, why are you doing it?"

As Touko waited for a response from the girl, she realized that rather than decrease with Touko's reassurance her anxiety was increasing. "Um, if you don't want to answer…" Touko added, herself now nervous she had caused offense…a rare concern for her.

"That's not it," Alice protested. "I'm not doing a very good job of explaining because I'm scared, Touko-san. Many people haven't taken well to learning this."

"A girl at an all boy's academy? I would think not. Although I suspect that would go over better than the opposite, assuming you weren't hurt of course." Touko dismissed as distracting for now the images of things which could go horribly wrong for a girl in such a circumstance.

"Touko-san, I was born in a boy's body by mistake." With these words Alice gently detached Touko's grasp on her arm and turned to walk away a few paces, facing further into the forest apparently to give Touko time alone to process the revelation.

_Born in a boy's body_. The words echoed through Touko's brain. _She's a cross-dresser?_ Touko weighed that option in her mind, but couldn't make it connect to what she had seen the past six or so hours._ I know makeup and prosthetics. I know what's possible, and her breasts, small as they are, are real. She's not shaving her face, the peach fuzz on her cheeks proves that. She's the same age as Yumi, Yoshino, and Shimako and is around the same size, unlike most boys of that age. It doesn't add up._

It was clear Alice believed what she was saying, but it also seemed clear that there must be more to this girl's equation than just male or female.

"Alice-san, once again I must ask that you please not play games with me," Touko finally continued, trying to be both gentle and firm. "I want to understand, but you need to explain things more clearly for that to happen."

Alice turned back to face Touko, an uncertain smile on her face. "Are you sure you can handle that much blood in the water?"

Touko had to chuckle as the metaphor was once again served back to her. "My imagination is more likely to put me in a frenzy than would your explanation, I'm sure. I don't see how you could possibly profit from all this, so I'm keeping an open mind. I'm intensely curious, to be honest. Among other things, I'm wondering how much I can learn from you. I wasn't kidding when I said I want to be able to play male roles." Touko smirked and raised an eyebrow as she said this, in an attempt to be disarming.

The effort seemed to have the desired effect as Alice walked back to stand before Touko. "Trust me, having done it for 16 years, it's not all that much to write home about," she responded with a wry grin of her own.

*****PGBR*****

Several hours later, early evening found the two girls slowly making their way back to the house. It had been an afternoon filled with questions from Touko and answers from Alice. By the end, however, Touko was satisfied that nothing really had changed. She kept her conclusions to herself as she processed her thoughts, though, simply indicating to Alice throughout the afternoon that she was open-minded and certainly didn't now hate her.

_Who am I to judge her if she's so dedicated to her belief in her femininity that she'd change her body to match her perception? She's certainly ethical. If she hadn't shared this with me, short of barging in on her while she was changing underwear, I'd never have known._

As the house came into view, Touko broke the thoughtful silence that had followed the two for the past several minutes. "You said your driver brought your things up yesterday, Alice-chan. When are you going to call him to bring everything over?"

Alice's sharp intake of breath was audible. She glanced over at Touko. "Are you sure, Touko…chan?"

Touko shook her head while rolling her eyes. "Alice-chan, you're going to have to be more assertive than that or Kieko-san is going to eat you for lunch." She than added, "Yes, I mean it. Because of you, this week now doesn't look like a total loss compared to Canada."

"Canada?" Alice asked, looking uncertain what that meant.

"Yes, Canada. A country north of the United States where they also drink tea," Touko explained teasingly.

Alice realized what was happening and blushed. "Okay, I deserved that. What about Canada?"

"Before I decided to stay here this week, I was going to Canada with my parents for the break. I resented the change in plans at the time, but now less so since I have a feeling things will be interesting now. I have you to thank for that."

Alice chuckled. "May you live in interesting times. Hopefully we won't come to see this as a curse." The two girls shared a grin at this thought before Alice changed the subject again. "If you're sure, then I'll give Haruo-san a call as soon as we get to the house and I can get at my purse." Alice thought for a moment after saying this, then added, "I actually have an errand I should run before it gets to late."

"An errand?" Touko inquired.

"Yes," Alice said with a grimace. "When I told Yuuki-kun and the others that I was heading up early, I promised them that I'd check on the campground and make sure everything looked on the up-and-up. Although they don't know yet the extent of Suguru-sama's manipulation, we've all smelled a rat for a while now. Even though I'm pretty sure all we're dealing with are his plans to bug us, I really should just make sure everything's set at the campground and he's not really planning to get everyone gathered in his cabin. This wouldn't be the first time I've foiled an attempt of his to sleep with or near to Yuuki-kun."

"Fukuzawa Yuuki-sama?" Touko asked to clarify, unsure what to make of this and trying not to jump to conclusions before she heard the whole story.

"The same. Fukuzawa Yumi-san's brother. He and I shared the often ignoble distinction of being Suguru-sama's assistants last year. I know the term assistant doesn't sound like much, but it's a big deal at Hanadera. He signed his name to our notebooks. While it's not as emotionally close a bond as being Lillian soeurs, at least not usually, the purpose is the same as the soeur system at Lillian. Suguru-sama was our mentor and we were his responsibility, and in return we helped him." Alice shrugged, and seemed inclined to leave it at that.

Touko however was curious. "Suguru oniisama rarely spoke of Hanadera with me, and never about the people there." Touko paused, unsure how to continue. Alice seemed inclined to wait for Touko to articulate her thoughts. "You've acknowledged Suguru-san's interest in boys. Are you saying he likes Yuuki-sama?" _Maybe that explains his focus on keeping Yumi-sama happy,_ she mused.

Alice smiled and shook her head, although Touko suspected not in denial but rather wry humor. "The straight answer is yes. And yes, Yuuki-kun knows. And no, he doesn't swing that way. That said, Yuuki-kun also has a heart of gold and doesn't want to cause offense to Suguru-sama. Suguru-sama knows Yuuki-kun isn't interested in him that way, but he still takes every opportunity he can to get close to Yuuki-kun, perhaps in the hope something will somehow magically happen. I know it won't since Yuuki-kun and I have spoken a lot about all this, and so I do my best to play interference…similar to what I'm doing this week for his sister. It was one reason I wasn't too worried about staying up there with Suguru-sama. It placed me in a better position to keep him out of trouble."

By now the two had reached the back door of the house. Touko paused briefly before opening it, considering another question and then discarding it as too forward. _If you keep him out of trouble with everyone else, who keeps him out of trouble with you? _Aloud she said, "I'll let Grandfather know we're going off with your driver on some errands and will be back before dark. Is that enough time?"

"You're coming with?" Alice asked, her surprise evident.

Touko simply nodded.

Alice looked up at the sun, apparently to gauge the time. "Yes, I think it'll be enough based on the maps. Assuming Haruo-san is able to come quickly. We'll know in a few minutes." Alice then went to her phone and Touko split from her to seek out her grandfather.

She found him sitting with Suguru, deep in conversation. The two men stopped talking when she entered the room.

"Did you two have a pleasant walk, Touko-chan?" her grandfather inquired.

"Very much so, Grandfather. She's a new friend and we had much to talk about." Touko saw Suguru looking at her searchingly at these words, and she smiled enigmatically back at him. "Grandfather, Alice-chan needs to perform some errands, which includes retrieving her things that were sent up yesterday, and has invited me to go along. She's calling her driver now. The plan is to be back before dark. I was hoping to go with her."

Her grandfather looked thoughtfully at her. Touko wasn't sure what to make of the look.

"Touko-chan?" Alice's voice carried timidly into the room from the entrance. "I don't know the address." Touko turned to see Alice holding her phone out to her.

"Let me speak with him," Grandfather Matsudaira instructed. Alice looked from Touko to her grandfather and back again. Touko indicated with her head in the direction of the older man.

Alice looked uncertain as she made her way across the room and handed her phone to the gray haired man.

"This is Matsudaira Atsushi," he began. "Yes, Alice-chan will be staying here this week…yes, I spoke with him a while ago…yes." He then gave the address to the house. "Yes, thank you. When you get here, please come to the door so I can speak with you a moment. I'll see you then. Do you need to speak again with Alice-chan? Okay, then we'll see you soon. Goodbye."

Grandfather Matsudaira looked back to Alice and smiled. "You have a very well spoken driver. I look forward to meeting him," he said as he handed over the phone. He then turned to Touko. "I'll want to speak with him briefly when he gets here, but I don't see a problem with your plan. I just request that you stay with the driver unless you're at a friend's house or someplace familiar."

"Yes grandfather," Touko said, clearly embarrassed at his attempt to assert boundaries.

"I know, young one. Just humor this old man, okay?" Once again, he shone that disarming paternal smile that caused both girls' hearts to melt.

Touko couldn't help but smile back. "Yes, grandfather," she said much more warmly this time.

"Alice-chan, if you are indeed staying here, then we should go get your bags out of the car," Suguru explained as he got up out of his chair. He headed out of the room and Alice followed. Touko leaned down to hug her grandfather in his chair before heading out to follow the two others.

Touko caught up with Alice and Suguru as they were arriving at Suguru's car. Alice wore a troubled expression when her face came into view; Suguru's eyes were obscured by his trademark sunglasses. Touko waited as Alice finished fishing her two bags out of the trunk and Suguru closed things up again. Alice looked at Suguru and then Touko before saying, "We need to talk some more, Touko-chan. It appears my grandfather has a big mouth and felt it necessary to share with your grandfather the basics of what we spent the afternoon discussing."

Touko's eyes widened as she processed the new information from her newest friend who then proceeded to begin walking back toward the house. She then looked over at Suguru questioningly.

Suguru just shrugged before urging Touko to follow Alice. He went on to say, "I spent much of the afternoon sharing my experiences with Alice. He asked me to be candid with him after he called Alice-chan's residence. Grandfather is a physician, and has seen a lot more than you might credit him. He's staying very open-minded, but still wants to gather information to satisfy his curiosity. I think he's treating all this as a particularly interesting clinical case, a close-to-home case though as it concerns you."

Touko nodded at the characterization which fit with what she knew of the man in question. "The fact we're still moving Alice's things into the house suggested that he isn't slamming any doors closed," Touko said matter-of-factly. "Is there anything else I should keep in mind?" Touko asked as the two reached the door. Alice had already gone into the house and was standing in the sitting room with all her things.

"Given Alice-chan has already shared everything with you, not really. Grandfather indicated he trusted your judgment, and seemed prepared to trust Alice-chan as well if she shared everything with you like she apparently has."

"Well then, nothing's changed. If you'll excuse me so I can get Alice-chan settled upstairs?" Touko looked up at Suguru with a raised eyebrow indicating his presence was now imposing. Suguru nodded before moving to rejoin their grandfather, and Touko turned to join Alice.

*****PGBR*****

"It looks like the campground, at least, is exactly as Suguru-sama suggested it would be," Alice admitted as the two girls walked back along the short trail from the campsite the Hanadera boys would be using for half a week to the campsite office and facilities. Alice had already confirmed the reservations were set and the site was exactly as described, about 500 meters into the woods, semi-isolated and away from cars and the more crowded central campsite area. "I can tell already that Yamaguchi-kun will just love it. He's bringing a small telescope and I have to believe the darkness back there will be exquisite at night. He's talked about little else in regards to this trip since we started planning it."

Touko couldn't help but consider the isolation a little unnerving and said so. Alice had a ready response to that. "You don't spend time around boys our age much, do you?"

Touko shook her head, "Except for Oniisama, no, not much."

"Trust me, they eat that kind of thing up," Alice continued. "There'll be all sorts of tests of manhood and the like. Not really my thing, so I'll leave early most nights I suspect. When I do, it'll give me an excuse to get Suguru-sama away when I leave. Somebody will have to escort l'il me through the scawwwy, dark woods." Alice mimed walking fearfully as she said this, then smiled and winked at Touko, who smiled back.

As she was smiling, a thought Touko had been nursing all afternoon came to the fore of her mind. She again looked Alice up and down, taking in her face and hair, her outside, her body. "Alice-can, I must admit I can't picture you in a uniform attending Hanadera, even given my acting experience."

Alice reached a hand behind her neck and turned her face to Touko to smile self-consciously. "It actually doesn't look that bad on me, although I occasionally get confused for a middle schooler."

Touko had to laugh at that given how she could so easily see it. "You know, Alice-chan, I still don't know your real name. I'm assuming it isn't Alice."

Alice's face and shoulders fell at this change in subject. Touko immediately realized it wasn't an academic topic for the girl next to her. "If it's okay with you," Alice said reticently, "I'd rather not say for now. If all goes well this week, I'll tell you on the way back down." Alice's face showed her hope that this would be enough for now.

Touko nodded back at the girl, trying to look sympathetic although she wasn't quite sure what the deal was given everything else that had been shared. "Sure," was all she said, making it clear she was fine allowing the subject to drop. _I could always ask Oniisama, but for some reason I don't think I will. She'll share things when she's ready. I think I know enough for now to plot things out this week._

Little was said as the two returned to the car and made their way down the mountain and into town. Alice didn't seem as talkative anymore, although she wasn't exactly moody either, and Touko had run out of things to ask. Both girls seemed intent on viewing the surrounding mountains as the shadows grew long. The driver stopped the car in front of a hotel and told his passengers that he'd be just a few minutes retrieving the bags.

"Are you still okay with going through your things tonight after dinner?" Touko asked tentatively as they waited in the car.

"Oh absolutely, Touko-chan," Alice said, turning her gaze back into the car. "I'm sorry I got quiet."

"It's okay, Alice-chan. I can imagine it's been quite a day for you," Touko said reassuringly, reaching over a hand to touch Alice's forearm in support.

The two were interrupted at that point by the return of Haruo-san and the bags. Touko turned her gaze and could see through the window two modest bags sitting beside the car as the trunk was opened. Not unreasonable for that length a trip and comparable to what Touko herself had brought.

It didn't take long for the driver to put away the bags and for them to again be on their way, now back to the Matsudaira home. Daisuke-san, the Matsudaira attendant, came out to take the bags from Alice's driver and walked with the girls back into the house and up the stairs.

Touko and Alice followed Daisuke-san to the room Alice was going to be staying in, which was directly across the hall from Touko's room. Once the bags were placed on the bed, Daisuke turned to the girls and let them know dinner was ready and that Grandfather Matsudaira was waiting until the girls returned before eating. Touko nodded and beckoned Alice to follow her back downstairs.

*****PGBR*****

"You've been examining the same two blouses for five minutes now, Alice-chan," Touko noted to the girl sitting on the floor at her feet next to an open suitcase. "Ever since after dinner when grandfather asked to speak alone with you, you've been pensive." Touko didn't know what words to use to continue the inquiry, so she let it fade off at that.

Dinner had been lovely, and everything had seemed to be going well. Grandfather Matsudaira was an accomplished conversationalist, and it hadn't taken much time at all for him identify subjects of interest to all four at the table- Suguru, Touko, Alice, and himself. When the meal was done and Suguru excused himself to get on his way back to his own place, Touko had asked the same for her and her friend to proceed upstairs for the evening. Her grandfather had then asked for a few minutes alone with Alice. Touko couldn't find any basis to argue, and apparently neither could Alice. Touko shot Alice a troubled look, but Alice seemed comfortable so Touko had proceeded up to her room. She had been nervously unpacking her own things when Alice had rejoined her about 10 minutes later. Since then, Alice had rarely started conversation, and her answers had been particularly short and didactic. Despite her grandfather's famous bedside manner, Touko was now really worried she had caused her new friend offense.

Touko now watched silently as Alice looked thoughtfully into her suitcase while her left hand reached up to hold the silver cross that remained around her neck even after she had slipped out briefly to change into the below the knee pink nightgown she now wore once it had been found in her bags. _I've seen her do that before. I think it's a reaction to nervousness or insecurity._

After a few moments thinking and absently rubbing her cross, Alice responded. "It's okay, Touko-chan. And in answer to your real question, your grandfather was fine. He was actually much kinder than most when they test me. It still doesn't make it any easier."

"Test you?" Touko asked to clarify. She could guess what the reference might mean under the circumstances, but she wanted to understand for sure despite the continued tenseness it caused the girl.

Alice sighed. She dropped her hand into her lap and looked up at Touko with a rueful smile. "Yeah, a test. Your grandfather made it clear earlier how seriously he takes his paternal protector role. Now that he knows my background and has spent the afternoon researching, he wanted to make sure whether I belonged on the side of protecting or rather protecting from. To steal a phrase from earlier today, am I a lamb or a wolf in lambs clothing."

Touko's eyes narrowed as she processed what she was hearing. "From anyone but my grandfather or my father, I'd never accept this slightly condescending attitude toward girls. I've been rethinking my feelings about it even towards them, and right now I must admit a desire to slap Grandfather silly. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

"Oh, Touko-chan, it's really not that bad," Alice-chan assured her friend, clearly trying to look sincere despite still clearly having reservations. "Seriously, it wasn't any different from everything you asked this afternoon." Alice shrugged at that in an attempt to soften the words and avoid causing offense.

Touko felt her shoulders, which had been tensing up, droop at that. "Touché. Fair enough, then. I won't pry if you aren't taking offense. Still, I assume by the fact you're up here and we're alone in a room with a closed door that you passed the good doctor's test?"

Alice's smile softened at that. "Oh yeah. I explained my lab values and medications, among other things. Based simply on low testosterone and high estrogen, I'm probably more girl than you are."

Although she had no basis to assess its validity, Touko had to smile at that characterization.

"So in the end, Touko-chan," Alice continued, clearly trying to conclude the topic, "I'm under no restrictions. He's fully satisfied. He just warned me to be careful this week when I'm anywhere else, but I think Suguru-sama has assured him that I know what I'm doing in that regard."

Touko nodded, thinking back to how she had spent hours with the girl before her and had never suspected anything was amiss. _Given what she's explained to me, I think she'll be fine even with the girls up here. Except…_

Another thought came to Touko, and she decided to voice her curiosity as a segueway into a concern. "Alice-chan, I've noticed you fingering that silver cross of yours when you're nervous or insecure. It's clearly important to you."

Alice smiled a smile Touko had only seen once before from the girl. It had been when Alice was sharing about her connection to Lillian. _Rosa Canina._

"It was a gift from Oneesama. Before she settled things with Satou-sama last spring, she didn't feel she could give me her rosary. I wasn't a Lillian student and there were events between her and the Gigantea Family that needed to be sorted out. Before I was Rosa Canina en bouton, as it were, I was simply Kanina Shizuka's little sister. This cross," Alice reached up again to finger it lovingly, "is a treasured family heirloom passed along her mother's side for several generations. Her mother's line has been Christian since before Meiji. In many ways it's more precious to me than the rosary, although I value both more than my life. This cross is also more appropriate for this week's circumstances. While I wear it I feel Oneesama's strength, and I suspect I'll need that this week."

Touko chuckled. "Quite possibly. Still, try not to be so transparent with it. If you reach for it regularly, it might be used by the others as a weapon. Doubly so if it becomes obvious to them, like it has to me, that you reach for it when you need reassurance."

Alice dropped her hand at this and then seemed to wilt in dejection. "You're right. I wasn't even aware of it until you pointed it out. Perhaps this isn't such a good idea, after all."

"Oh stop it," Touko allowed her annoyance to show in her rebuke of the girl. "You've got to have tougher skin than that to have performed all the places you have, Alice-chan. And that doesn't even begin to touch on your courage to be what you know you are rather than what you're supposed to be. I'm serious about tomorrow. You're on your own. If you fall apart, I'll be circling you no different from the others. I have no doubt you _can_ do it, I'm just not sure that you _will_ do it. That's up to you."

Touko watched as Alice processed this and balanced on the knife's edge between giving into her emotions and soldiering on.

"You're absolutely right, Touko-chan," Alice said as her face gained determination again. "I owe so much to Suguru-sama and Yuuki-kun. While I've never met Yumi-sama, I owe it to my best friend and my closest senpai to make this week work out right." Alice looked directly into Touko's eyes as she reached behind her neck and removed her necklace. "I am on my own, Touko-chan. Thank you for reminding me of that. I don't need Oneesama's necklace to be strong." Alice gently wrapped the necklace in a handkerchief from the suitcase and carefully slid the bundle into a pocket along the inside of the carrier.

_Good girl, _Touko thought with growing optimism._ A life preserver, no matter how buoyant, won't keep you from getting eaten. We're as ready as we'll ever be, now to go swim with the sharks._


	4. Blood in the Water

**Shepherds Watching Over Us**

Who watches the lambs when they vacation amongst wolves?

**Blood in the Water**

2nd year, Early August  
First Tuesday of Summer Vacation

_Remember, you're on your own tomorrow._

The words she had reiterated to Alice the previous night echoed in Touko's head as she stood, irritated, outside the only bathroom on the second floor of the Matsudaira summer home.

_This must be what the other girls at Lillian are talking about when they complain about their sisters hogging the bathroom. I never appreciated just how annoying it can be._

"Arisugawa-san, how much longer are you going to be?" Touko finally allowed herself to say in her annoyance. It wasn't hard at all to maintain formalities given her mood at the moment.

_Today's going to be bad enough without this to start it. The first day is always the worst…_

"A while. You do realize how much work these feathers are to maintain, right?"

"And you do realize you're occupying the only bathroom with a shower on this floor or outside my grandfather's room downstairs, right?"

"It's not my fault there's no large mirror or grooming desk in the guest room. That said," Touko heard Alice pause and was surprised when the door to the bathroom opened, "I'm done with the shower, Matsudaira-san. You're more than free to use it. We're all girls here, right?" Alice stood in the open door for moment, clearly dressed only in bra and panties, and displaying a smug expression as she finished speaking. She then turned back to her work at the mirror as if nothing at all was amiss.

Touko knew she had allowed her shock to display briefly, but she schooled it quickly. Alice's state of (barely) dress was obvious to Touko without looking down, and she forced herself not to assuage her curiosity by doing so. She stood indecisively at the door for a few more moments.

"Keep in mind, Matsudaira-san, that I've spent years in a small apartment sharing a bathroom with my sister. This isn't anything unusual for me."

_So who is it again that's on their own today?_

Touko now felt challenged by this girl and determined not to back down. She strode into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Despite there being only one bathroom on the second floor, it was spacious and two girls could share it easily without being crowded. Still, despite having spent time in dressing rooms and locker rooms her whole life, she couldn't help but feel a little self conscious at the moment. She stood for a moment watching Alice working on her hair, realizing the girl really was just continuing on as if nothing had happened.

_I'm the one staring at her. Who's the voyeur?_

That thought chastened her, and Touko realized it was either fish or cut bait.

_Let's go fishing._

Touko finished her way to the shower. Turning her back to Alice just as she would in a locker room, she slipped out of her nightgown and underwear. As she removed her bra she realized with a start that Alice wasn't terribly far behind her in that department. Until that thought her vexation at Alice, first for her slowness and then for her boldness, had moderated Touko's embarrassment at the situation. Now she felt the telltale warmth of blushing and dove for the refuge of the shower to cover it. As she turned to look at Alice again through the fogged glass, she realized she needn't have worried. Alice was still clearly intent on her hair and face.

_Vain little…_

Touko shook her head both to berate herself for allowing Alice to get under her skin and to slip into the shower cap she grabbed from a hook on the wall near her. As she turned on the water and adjusted the temperature she consoled herself with the knowledge that at least this method of unbalancing Touko, whether it be a conscious effort or simply collateral to the peculiar circumstances, wouldn't be available later today. Alice had far more to lose by allowing her dual-nature to be known than did Touko, although Touko also realized it likely wouldn't make her life very easy for a while either were it to come out. In the end, Touko had to admit it was probably for the best that this happen now. If there had been doubt in Touko's mind about Alice's status as a girl before, any chance of a verbal slip-up, there wasn't anymore after seeing her like this.

_Is this the same girl who was so insecure last night? She's like night and day._

"So, Matsudaira-san," Alice began again, apparently maintaining also the resumed formalities between them that they had both agreed would be wise today, regardless of whether they were with others or not. "Is there anything you'd be willing to share about your friends that I'll be meeting today? All I know from Suguru-sama is that they're like you, both in being wolves and in their likely distaste for the relationship between Ogasawara-sama and Yumi-sama and their desire to humiliate Yumi-sama."

Touko's brow furrowed a bit at that characterization as her hands lathered up a loofah. "I wouldn't exactly say that I want to humiliate Yumi-sama. I just don't think she's healthy for Sachiko-oneesama, or the other way around to be honest. It would be best for all concerned if Yumi-sama would just admit that, but she won't listen to reason. Trust me, I've tried."

"And how does Ogasawara-sama feel about all this?" Alice inquired.

Touko's memories of the previous month when Sachiko's grandmother died filled her mind. _We all tried to console her, but Sachiko was completely unreachable. Unreachable to anyone but her, that is._ Touko buried her hurt over those events before answering Alice. "Sachiko-oneesama is confused."

"Is she?"

Touko looked over and could see Alice's profile had turned to face the shower. Touko suddenly felt self-conscious on several levels and turned her back to the door to obfuscate her own frame through the fogged glass. "Arisugawa-san, I've known Sachiko-oneesama my entire life. I don't appreciate your questioning at all. I'm here to keep Sachiko-sama from getting hurt. Period. If because you're smitten with Suguru-oniisama or Yumi-sama's brother you want to protect Yumi-sama beyond that, that's fine. Just stay out of my way."

Touko allowed the water to flow against her left side for a good minute of silence before turning to look back out the fogged glass. Alice was again intent on the mirror.

"As far as today," Touko resumed speaking into the silence as she washed herself, "there are three others beside me I suspect you will be sharing the day with. Ayanokoji Kikuyo is my age, Kyogoku Kieko is your age as is Saionji Yukari. Saionji-san's family owns the house we'll be visiting for lunch." Touko paused before deciding how to continue. "Saionji-san is the leader. You mentioned attaching yourself to the alpha. That would be her. Don't get too close, though, or the other two will take exception to it, especially Kikuyo-san."

"I think I get that," Alice responded simply.

Touko finished rinsing out the loofah and placed it back on the wall hanger before beginning to rinse her body in earnest. "Do you have a plan, then?"

"You've said our best bet is to allow Ogasawara-sama and her petite soeur to just be left alone to do their own thing. I think for now I'll just be the young socialite and we'll see what we can do to either keep your friends from going over there, or to try and keep Yumi-sama from interacting too much with them. If Yumi-sama is anything like her brother, you may be surprised that she'll figure this out on her own."

"I'd feel a lot better trusting Yumi-sama's insight into things if she'd avoided the trap in the first place, Arisugawa-san. If she'd had the sense God gave a radish she'd still be safe in Tokyo, I'd be in Canada with my family, and you'd be in Florence with your Oneesama. We're both stuck here because she's a naïve fool."

"Put that way, I can see your point," Alice replied. Touko couldn't be sure through the running water, but she suspected it was accompanied by a sigh. "In any case, as you noted when you joined me in here, we're running late due mostly to me. I'm going to go get dressed and finish preparing in my room. I also need to coordinate something with Harou-san. I'll try not to slow us down any more."

"You're fine, Arisugawa-san. Lunch is informal. It's usually just between the four of us who are closest to Sachiko-oneesama. It wouldn't be the first time I've been fashionably late for lunch the first day."

_If I could avoid it entirely, I would. I can just hope Alice distracts them from me, too. Is it too much to hope?_

*****PGBR*****

"You sure you'll be fine, Alice-chan?"

It was late morning and Alice and Touko had just extracted themselves from Suguru's small sports car. Suguru remained in the car, but it was clear that now, when his plan was ready to be fully implemented, he was having second thoughts.

"Suguru-sama," Alice responded, clearly trying to be reassuring, "nothing's changed since you came to me with the idea. I'm the same girl you've attached to your arm for how many social functions? I know how to play the game and I'll be fine."

"And you, Touko-chan?" Suguru turned with an enquiring look to his cousin.

Inside, Touko lamented all the times she had tried to telegraph her hurt and fears to this man and had watched as her usually perceptive cousin blithely missed them all, caught up as he so often was with himself. When Touko had needed him most, Suguru had been caught up in his own coming of age struggles and insecurities despite what he let on to most others. There had been no room for her, and now it was water under the bridge; he could keep his concern. The damage had been done.

"You really are a fool if you're going to worry about me, Oniisama," Touko derided. "I'm on my home turf after all. As far as Alice-chan; as we've discussed, she's the daughter of a friend of Grandfather's who he invited to join us this weekend. It wasn't like I had much of a choice to have her tag along. Other than that, she's on her own. She has her interests, and I have mine." Touko didn't have to feign her scowl at all.

Suguru looked troubled, and Touko shook her head again. "Baka," she said simply and turned to walk off toward the ostentatious newly remodeled house they had stopped before. Touko felt a little sorry for Suguru and his confusion, but she didn't have the energy to worry about him too…not with Alice here. Touko had been cool to Alice all morning, even before Suguru's arrival, and the interaction had done Alice well. The new girl's initial uncertainty had mutated into a cool aloofness that was going to serve her well this week if she kept it up. In fact, Alice was doing such a good job now that Touko couldn't be sure Alice herself hadn't changed her feelings toward Touko. Touko buried the ironic worried turnabout that thought represented as she turned back to make clear her real impatience with the other two.

Touko watched as Alice leaned into the car and Suguru gave her a kiss on the cheek. _I wonder who got a look at that_? Touko had no way of knowing who was watching at that moment, but she was certain it would be common knowledge between her friends well before she would see them.

_May you live in interesting times._

By now, Alice was bouncing up the lane toward Touko. She was dressed conservatively in a red floral skirt and pink blouse. Around her neck was a butterfly-shaped pendant and her ears sported small gold hoop earrings. Very simple; a bit more colorful but still similar to what Touko was wearing, yet the effect on Alice was different given the latter girl's current vivaciousness.

_The colors suit her._

Alice's enthusiastic display of happiness after her affectionate departure from Suguru moderated once she caught up with Touko, moderation Touko appreciated. Her irritated concern regarding those two wasn't feigned. Touko wasn't sure if Alice had been aware of the effect it would have on her new friend as well as the new audience, but Touko had to admit it certainly helped Touko maintain her role. Right now, in the mood she was in, she really did want to slap Alice.

"This place exudes new money," Alice noted quietly, her words for Touko alone emphasizing 'new' were completely at odds with her wide-eyed expression intended for the audience.

Touko didn't respond externally, although inside she gave the girl credit for her perception. That was exactly what the Saionji family was for anyone who really paid attention. Touko's own family and Sachiko's family came up here to get away from all the trappings of their status. The Saionji's, coming to their greatly increased fortune after the war and wanting everyone to know their recent success, brought their trappings everywhere they went.

As the two approached the door, a male servant in formal black and white attire opened it. "Matsudaira-sama, the ladies are awaiting your arrival in back. May I escort you and your guest?" He bowed.

Touko nodded. "That would be nice." She and Alice then followed the man as he led them down a hall where they could see a large sitting room to the side. The hall then led through an even larger great room, clearly intended to entertain large gatherings.

_She's showing off_, Touko thought with grim amusement at the thinly veiled effort to remind Touko, and likely Kieko and Kikuyo as well, of the current size of the Saionji fortune. _I wonder what she's going to do when she realizes the Arisugawa largesse dwarfs her own, and she has ancestral status as well. Maybe this distraction thing may work._

After the obligatory tour of the relatively opulent public areas of the new Saionji house, Touko and Alice were led out a wide glass door onto a brick-lined patio. At the distant end of the patio was a path leading to a gazebo centered within a flowered garden. It was clear by the three girls currently sitting under the gazebo that this was their destination. As the walkers approached, the servant announced them as 'Matsudaira-sama and guest', then bowed and turned back to the house.

"It's so nice to see you again, Touko-san," Saionji Yukari expressed as the two new arrivals came to stand next to the table. She then tilted her head in curiosity as she turned to gaze on Alice. "And I don't believe we've had the honor of meeting."

"This is Arisugawa Alice," Touko said by way of introduction. "She is the daughter of a friend of my grandfather and he invited her to join us for the week at his summer home."

Alice added to this while flashing a bright smile accompanied by a proper bow, "I am very pleased to meet you all. I hope my unexpected presence doesn't impose and that surprise at my arrival didn't interrupt your enjoyment of the day."

"Oh, not at all. I'm Saionji Yukari and this is my father's estate. I am very glad to have you as a guest. Please both of you have a seat and join us," Yukari gestured at the remaining chairs. Once Touko and Alice were settled, the two remaining girls at the table proceeded with their introductions.

"I'm Ayanokoji Kikuyo," the youngest of the three with short black hair and green eyes began. "I'm very glad to make your acquaintance and look forward to getting to know you better this week." She smiled at Alice, who responded in kind.

"And I am Kyogoku Kieko," the last of the girls began in friendly fashion. She had long brown hair held back with a clip and brown eyes that didn't seem to miss anything at all. "If you don't mind, I am fascinated by geneology. Do you by chance know where you separate from the ancestral imperial Arisugawa line?"

Alice smiled warmly at this, clearly prepared for the question. "Absolutely, Kyogoku-san. My grandfather is very proud of the fact he is a direct cadet male line, three removed, from Prince Arisugawa Tsunahito."

_Oh wow_, Touko thought as she absorbed this. Touko noted the eye twitch both Yukari and Kieko let slip before reasserting their control again. _That's still much too far removed to be Imperial Line, of course, but close enough to count for a lot to these girls._

"Impressive. Your grandfather has much to be proud of," Yukari added. To Touko's experienced eye her smile seemed a little more forced than before, her eyes slightly wider than they had been before.

Alice shrugged, her smile unabated but her expression indicating graceful indifference. "I suppose. I don't worry myself too much over it; rather I let the men handle such things. I focus my energies on artistic things as I've been encouraged while my family seeks out an appropriate husband."

Touko struggled to keep her jaw from dropping._ She's playing the pretty little aristocratic flower to the hilt. Happy to play beta. Practically screaming "Lead Me". I think my head would explode doing this if I weren't on a stage._

Touko's glance at the others indicated they were taking the bait regarding their expected prospects with the girl.

"Well Arisugawa-san," Yukari continued looking intently first at Alice and then at Touko, "it appears your presence this week will certainly be interesting, and I'm sure Touko-san will appreciate the company. I hope she isn't terribly troublesome for you. She's has had difficulties of late maintaining hold of those important to her. I can imagine she must be quite distressed." Touko started at the broadside which should have been expected, but which still managed to catch her off guard given the timing. She closed her eyes and schooled her expression again, but not before the smiles around her indicated that it was too late.

_So much for Alice as a distraction helping me. Yukari's establishing with Alice that she's alpha bitch…as usual at my expense_, Touko thought with familiar misery before opening her eyes to engage the familiar routine.

"Matsudaira-san has actually been a kind hostess, Saionji-san," Alice responded graciously, her smile unabated as she took a sip of her tea. "Not difficult at all. I wasn't aware she had been troubled. We only just met yesterday when Suguru-sama drove us up."

"You know Kashiwagi-sama well, Arisugawa-san?" This time it was Kieko who took up the question.

"As I mentioned earlier, my grandfather knows Matusdaira-sensei. I know Suguru-sama through family connections. I'm sure my knowledge of him doesn't hold a candle to that of his cousin." Alice smiled generously at Touko, who was maintaining her silence, watching as "on your own" took on a very different meaning from what had originally been envisioned.

"I suppose," Kieko said, turning to Touko. "We all know how close Touko-san is with her cousin. It would sadden us all, of course, to see anything come between them given her recent loss."

"Kieko-san," Touko responded now to all present, "my relationship with Suguru-oniisama is none of your concern. As far as any other loss, I'm not exactly sure what you're referring to." Touko steeled herself for the traditional humiliation, this time with added overtones of resentment at Alice despite the fact it had been Touko who had been so clear about "on your own". _Time to get this over with._

"Oh?" Kieko responded with measured surprise. "Perhaps I heard wrong but I understood that Sachiko-sama has taken a Lillian little sister while you apparently weren't paying attention."

"I was paying perfect attention, Kieko-san, insofar as I could from middle school. Sachiko-oneesama's choice of soeur is her own affair and I saw no reason to get involved." Despite it being the truth, as expected the defense was ineffectual. The next volley, however, truly hit home…as it always did.

"Her own affair, you say? Or is it possible you felt sorry for someone of no rank. Kinship, perhaps?" Kikuyo fired the shot Touko couldn't respond to, as usual. Touko simply stayed silent to allow the girl the last word. Experience showed it was the best way to avoid further hurt. Of the three, Kikuyo was the one, had she been born a boy, Touko was certain would have reveled in tearing the legs off insects. Although they were all cruel, Kikuyo was the most direct of the three.

"Well, no matter," Yukari said, taking back ownership of the conversation once Touko had been allowed a few moments to stew in her own juices…and the pecking order had been clearly demonstrated for the new girl. "We're going to help you this week, Touko-san. Your dear relation and senpai is clearly responding irrationally to her grandmother's illness and death. She needs our help. We understand Sachiko-sama has providentially come up this week with her Lillian sister. It is our intention to show this rank skipping upstart her place and bring Ogasawara Sachiko back to us."

**/*/**

"Thank you, Saionji-san. Lunch was delicious."

Touko watched as Alice smiled graciously at her hostess, daintily placing her knife and fork on her now empty plate. Servants had arrived and were carefully maneuvering around the girls in order to remove the tableware.

Tensions had abated since the apparently obligatory drubbing of Touko over the current perceived setback with Sachiko. Lunch had arrived shortly after that, and conversation had slipped to less charged topics. The assembled girls now knew that Alice was tutored, was quite a musician, and had spent much of her life abroad. It was clear Touko's friends were feeling Alice out. When Alice would mention having been a place which one or more of the others had also visited, conversation lingered for a while as Alice was cheerfully pressed for details which proved she was as she said. London, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Rome, Budapest, Moscow, New York, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Sydney were just some of the locales discussed...at least the ones anyone else could speak to. Touko knew Alice was well travelled as a younger child, but hearing the litany of cities she had visited left even her feeling slightly jealous. It was clear the others felt even more so.

"You are very welcome, Arisugawa-san. I'm glad you liked it."

"I did very much." Alice said assuredly, then brightened as she began speaking again, clearly addressing Yukari specifically. "Saionji-san, I'm hoping that perhaps this afternoon I can reciprocate somewhat."

Yukari, who had been splitting her attention between her guests and watching her staff perform, turned her head with a curious expression toward Alice. She cocked her head slightly to indicate she was listening.

"I'm not sure if there is interest, but I haven't ever been to a beach on the western side of Japan. Visiting beaches when I travel is always a high point for me, and yet I haven't taken the time to experience the Sea of Japan except from the air. My driver assures me that he has access to a vehicle which will seat all of us. I thought given how hot today will be that a drive in an air conditioned car to a nice beach might be a pleasant way to spend the day. It'll be my treat of course, for the whole trip." Alice smiled hopefully at the others although her focus was always on Yukari, to whom she had been clearly deferential since introductions. Not surprisingly, Yukari answered for all of them.

"That's very kind of you, Arisugawa-san," Yukari said, clearly considering the idea. "I had originally though we would go visit Sachiko-sama today, though."

"I certainly defer to your judgment, Saionji-san, and meeting Ogasawara-sama would be splendid of course, but unfortunately tomorrow I have personal business to attend to. If we're going to make the beach happen, it'll have to be today."

Yukari looked to each of the others and nodded. "Well, if that's the case we can always visit Sachiko-sama tomorrow. We'll need to let our families know, but I can't imagine there'll be any issues given Matusdaira-sensei's endorsement. When are you thinking of leaving?"

"Very soon if we're to have any time there. We can stop by each of your places on the way out for swimsuits and anything else that's readily accessible. Anything else, we can always get when we get there. Saionji-san, I can have my driver here in less than 30 minutes. Can you be ready?"

Yukari seemed surprised at how quickly things were now moving, but the new feeling of excitement among the girls was palpable. Yukari had to ride at the speed of the wave if she was to be seen as still being in charge. As Touko watched the oldest of the girls move quickly back to the house to get her things and inform her family of her plans, and the younger two pulled out cellular phones to make their own preparations, Touko had to marvel at how Alice had already managed to delay contact with Sachiko and Yumi for at least one day.

_I suppose even with these girls there are few problems you can't solve by throwing money at it._

*****PGBR*****

_Alice and Yukari have been nigh inseparable since we got in the car to drive out here, _Touko thought with a scowl as she watched Yukari once again trying to correct Alice's posture on a surfboard_. I swear Alice has passed the quarter-million yen mark trying to impress the others, and they've been eating it up. SUV and gas, exclusive gated beach recommended by Yukari, surfboard rentals suggested by Kikuyo, plans for dinner at a place favored by Kieko, and everything else we've gotten or arranged today. This isn't the simple yet peculiar girl I took a walk in the woods with yesterday. You can't trust people who display their emotions. Emotions exist just to manipulate others. Just like Kikuyu…and just like Yumi I'm sure._

"Gokigenyo, Matsudaira-san," a friendly female voice called to her.

"Goki…" Touko started saying reflexively, before shaking herself out of her reverie and looking up at the person who was unexpectedly offering her the traditional Lillian greeting. Touko was sitting in her one piece swimsuit on a large blanket laid out on the sunny beach. A large parasol had been set up by Harou-san, Alice's driver, to provide shade when the girls wanted to rest. Touko had been noting that rest seemed the furthest thing from the others' minds as they had been frolicking non-stop in the waves just about since they had arrived. Touko was currently sitting with her knees pulled up, her hands folded on them, and her chin resting on her hands…looking out at the water.

"Here," the brown-haired still young but mature woman said as she offered Touko a cup, smiling encouragingly. "It's strawberry. I thought it was the best bet for something you'd like."

Touko noted the woman held another cup in her hand which had the appearance of having been started already. "Harou-san, why just me? I thought you'd be more worried about Alice-san especially given the risks she looks to be taking out there in nothing but a one-piece swimsuit," Touko reasoned.

"And I thought you'd be out there playing with your friends. Alice-chan seems to be doing fine," Harou Akane, the wife of Alice's driver, responded in kind as she sat beside Touko and assumed a similar posture, beginning her own watch out to sea. "I learned a long time ago to have faith in her judgment during moments like these."

"You're acting strange for house staff. 'Alice-chan'?" Touko's emphasis made the quotation marks clear as she challenged the woman's familiarity with her charge.

Akane chuckled, although she kept her gaze fixed on the girls in the water. "That's because I'm not. At least I haven't been for some years. I just act the part when I'm with Gensuke and he's working. I'm a K through College Lillian girl. You look like you could use a senpai more than you could use a servant right now, anyway."

Touko turned her head back to look at the others swimming out again into the waves. The woman's forwardness surprised her, but not unpleasantly. Still, Touko wasn't exactly in a trusting mood and she was confident if push came to shove the woman would choose the bonds of a wife over those of an alumna.

The two women, student and alumna, sat together in silence as the minutes dragged on. The silence was comfortable, though, and continued for a while as both of them watched Alice wobble and fall yet again from her surfboard. It appeared Kikuyo and Yukari were actually fairly experienced at surfing, or at least maintaining their balance. Kieko was getting better under Kikuyo's tutelage, but it appeared Alice was hopeless despite Yukari's mentoring.

"She looks like an idiot out there," Touko noted quietly, more to herself than anything. _She also IS an idiot_, she noted as she watched Yukari once again holding Alice by the hips as she explained proper positioning. _ And reckless, despite what this woman maintains. It won't take much of a hand slip for Yukari to make an interesting discovery no matter the swimsuit and however tightly she tucked things away._

"She does, doesn't she?" Akane responded, agreeing with Touko's spoken assessment. "I've been part of her life since she was a toddler, and still have never figured out how someone so skilled with so many instruments can be so totally inept athletically. Still, I admire her humility in circumstances like this. Not many children of her station would be so at ease looking foolish."

"I thought you said you aren't house staff," Touko remarked. "You talk like you know her pretty well."

"I'm not staff now, but I was. That's how Gensuke and I met, actually. You know Alice-chan was home schooled until attending Hanadera, right?"

Touko gave a sound indicating yes.

"I was her tutor for eight years. I went wherever she went for that entire time. It was an amazing life, really. I got to travel the world, every continent except Antarctica, and eventually met the love of my life."

Touko thought this over for a while, continuing to watch as Alice tried once again to maintain her balance. She did seem to be improving…slowly.

"She's been treating you and your husband as rudely as the others have today," Touko noted, referring to Alice. "I would think you'd be offended given you're not bound to take it."

Akane chuckled again. "I'm not dumb, and neither is Gensuke. We can see what she's dealing with. She's trying to fit in, just like you are, in a group of relatively mean girls. She's a chameleon; she's always been good at fitting in. She has to be, given what she is. She knows we'll forgive her just about anything."

Once again, Touko had nothing to add to that and silence reigned between them for a long while.

"You really should go out there, Touko-san. Seriously, they look like they're having fun."

"Surfing isn't my thing," Touko expressed with a slight shake of her head. "It's bad enough watching Alice-san faun over the others from all the way back here. I don't think I'd be able to keep from being sick if I were up close. I know she's trying to fit in, but there's something creepy about it with her."

"You doubt her sincerity?"

"I don't know," Touko said thoughtfully. "This afternoon she seems to be staring at the others when they're not looking. I noticed it especially after we got into swimsuits. It strikes me more like a boy than a girl. So yes, it does make me question and leave me disturbed given the freedom she has with real girls who don't know. And on top of it, she seems particularly smitten with Yukari-san, leaving me doubts about both her sincerity _and_ her taste."

Long moments of silence passed again, this time less comfortable as Touko suspected she'd offended the woman. _No matter, it's not like I'm looking for a friend anymore anyway._

"Touko-san, I think you're misinterpreting Alice," Akane quietly suggested. "Do you know the Hans Christian Anderson fable of the Little Mermaid?"

Touko nodded, unsure whether the woman could see the motion but also curious where the reference could possibly be leading.

"Despite her lack of swimming ability, you can think of Alice as that Little Mermaid. Wanting to be a human girl with all her heart and soul, watching them from a distance, examining and fascinated with every motion they make, but never able to be one. At least not without an enormous sacrifice, and even then, her time as a mermaid, her lack of upbringing since birth as a human girl, will still set her apart."

Touko turned her head so that her ear was now resting on her hands, her face now toward Akane. "You're a romantic, you know," Touko accused, her mouth frowning.

Akane nodded, herself still looking out. "Guilty as charged. Then again, I know Alice better than anyone except perhaps her sister, Yasuna-chan. The Little Mermaid was Alice's favorite story. It was only years later that I came to understand why."

"Still. Yakari-san? Couldn't she find someone better to model herself after if that's what this is all about?"

"Saionji-san has similar hair and a similar frame," Akane pointed out. "Note they're even similarly vain, both having tied their hair up and covered it to keep out that salt water. Its clear Alice admires her in some ways. That said, she admires you the most. She's better at keeping her target unaware of her fascination than she is with third parties, so you likely didn't notice. After we got into our swimsuits and before they headed out to the water, her fascination was exclusively on you."

The two shared a glance.

"I hope that doesn't creep you out," Akane added, trying now to be reassuring. "If it's any consolation, I've caught her examining me, watching how my body moves."

"I really don't know how to feel about it," Touko admitted both to herself and the other woman.

"I'm sorry if I've caused you distress or placed a barrier between you. That wasn't my intent."

"Then what was your intent?" Touko challenged.

Akane considered Touko for several moments before continuing. "Alice's best friend moved to Italy recently. Ah, I see you know this. Okay, since then Alice has been withdrawing from other girls. I don't think it's good for her and I'm hoping perhaps you might be her friend."

"You're being remarkably trusting. You see the company I keep."

"Perhaps, but I also see how you carry yourself both when you're with them and when you're on your own. I also know from Gensuke the kind of man your grandfather it. Gensuke has known him less than a day and he's made it clear he'd work for the man. My husband is extremely choosy about who is worthy of loyalty, and I've never known him to say that on the spot. I have to imagine his granddaughter can't be too bad."

"I don't suppose you've met Kikuyo-san's grandparents, have you?"

Akane shook her head.

"They're the sweetest couple you will ever meet. Kikuyo-san's father, however, breaks companies up for sport and you've seen enough of Kikuyo-san to develop an opinion I'm sure."

Akane nodded.

"You really should be more cautious making assumptions….and both of you should be more careful being so trusting. I've formed a temporary alliance with Alice-san, but she's too naïve to allow any closer…not surprising with people like you and her sister around. She's going to get herself hurt through misplaced trust and I'm not interesting in being part of it."

Touko stood up and looked back at Akane who remained sitting as before, staring out to sea with a sad expression on her face. "I'm sorry to have left you with the impression I'm something I'm not, Harou-san. Thank you for the drink, it was very refreshing. Gokigenyo." Touko then bowed and set off to walk up the beach toward a distant trash receptacle, clearly indicating she wanted time alone.

*****PGBR*****

"Touko-chan, you should have told me you were Yukari-san's whipping boy," Alice said, face grim, as she turned to look over at the girl in question. The two of them were comfortably settled into the private volcanic spring bath, or onsen, that Suguru and Harou-san had coordinated for the evening after the girls had returned from the expedition west of Niiigata. The driver, Suguru, and Matsudaira-ojisan were in a similar pool in another room.

Although Touko and Alice were sharing the extremely spacious pool with Akane, the wife of Alice's driver, the woman was some distance away and appeared engrossed in a book. Touko knew that Alice, like most of those growing up in houses with servants, had little problem tuning the servants out even for sensitive conversations. Touko was never comfortable with the practice, and was even less so now given Akane's attempt to win Touko over earlier that day. Still, the way of servants was part of their shared reality and she decided to let it go.

_Just one more reason why Yumi-sama doesn't belong up here. Even something as simple as this would be alien to her. Damn her! If it weren't for that fool of a senpai I'd have spent today walking along glacier-fed lakes with my parents. Why can't Sachiko-oneesama see that? Why can't Alice or Suguru-oniisama?_

Unlike Alice, whose hair was again carefully bound up for protection and therefore couldn't submerge herself fully in the water, Touko was under no such restriction. She leaned back into the water and allowed her head except her face to be submerged for several moments. Part of her was tempted to stay that way given with her ears covered she no longer had to listen to her erstwhile companion.

_It's a bit late for her to be lecturing me now about telling her things, and anyway she wasn't exactly reaching out to help me even though she could see what was happening. Damn her too._

"I'm not the boy here, Alice-chan," Touko said, knowing full well the connotation. They were words meant for one purpose- to hurt. She wanted Alice to hurt like she had been hurt today. Rather than feel better, however, as soon as the words were said she felt a pang of guilt.

_Why can't I be like the others? Why can't I revel in the pain of others…to feel better about myself when others are taken down? Why do I have to care!_ "I don't want it!"

Touko sat up with a start as she realized that last had been uttered aloud. She then looked over toward Alice and glared at her as if it was her fault.

Alice simply looked back with concern on her face, her legs drawn up against her body with her arms hugging them. "It doesn't look like it helped," she said simply.

The position Alice was using looked suddenly comfortable, and so Touko mimicked it. _The fetal position_, Touko remembered her grandfather calling it. _It's reassuring because we spend nine months curled up like this in our mother's womb. Mother…_

Touko shook her head vigorously at the invasion of images…memories…discoveries…she absolutely couldn't deal with right now. _Why am I thinking of my birth mother at a time like this?_

"No, it didn't," Touko replied, her words matching her recent movement but she suspected Alice wouldn't buy that such vigorous head shaking was simply in answer to her question.

"It's no big deal. I've heard worse, from close family no less. Part of me wishes it had made you feel better simply because I hate to see you hurting. Most of me is glad it didn't because I'd hate even more to see you become like those three." Alice didn't need to clarify who 'those three' were.

"It would be so much easier, though, wouldn't it?" Touko said wistfully, trying to allow herself to relax back into the pool with the illusion life could be so easy. "To just not care. To revel in the pain of others." Touko was tired and her filters were shot. She realized she was musing aloud now and she really didn't care anymore.

"But they do care, Touko-chan. They care so much about what others have, and what they don't have, that they'll never be happy with what they themselves have. Is a life of bitterness what you really want?"

Something about that question was the last straw for Touko after a long day of load after load and blow after blow. _She's pitying me_, Touko realized with sudden anger. She turned to look derisively at Alice, finding herself allowing years of pent up pain to lash out at a suddenly convenient…and vulnerable…target. "Bitterness, you say? Life is generous when doling out bitterness, Alice. I could point out you're a pot calling a kettle black. I watched you as you watched us today in our swimsuits. Envy. Jealousy." Touko stood up without warning and faced Alice, water coming up to her thighs and dripping down from her hair and breasts. Touko saw again the resentment in her own heart reflected in the girl before her, the pain that comes from wanting something you could never…quite…have. "This is what you want, isn't it '_Alice'_? Authenticity? A natural girl's body?" Touko ran her hands along her body as she said this and her words left clear the quotation marks around the name. "Well, guess what? You can't have it, no matter what pills you take or how you cut yourself up." Touko plopped back down in the pool, facing away from Alice. "Any more than I can have what I want no matter how hard I try, no matter how authentic I am, no matter how much I'm a good girl. Stop lecturing me about bitterness you damned hypocrite."

No more words were said after that, which suited Touko just fine. She pointedly avoided looking at either Alice or Akane, trying instead to melt into the hot water, trying to allow the currents to whisk her troubles away. _What good is an onsen that leaves you more tense when you get out than when you get in?_


	5. Lamb Among Friends

**Shepherds Watching Over Us**

Who watches the lambs when they vacation amongst wolves?

**Lamb Among Friends**

2nd year, Early August

First Wednesday of Summer Vacation

"Suguru-sama, you did find Yuuki-kun!" The girl who exclaimed this as she approached Yumi, Yumi's brother, and Yumi's brother's senpai was clearly happy to see them. She was dressed in a white pleated skirt that fell to mid thigh, reminiscent of a tennis skirt. She had a similar white blouse covered with a light red pastel vest that was tight at the waist. Her hair had feathers intricately woven into its mid-back length, at her neck was a simple silver cross, and at her wrist was a gem-encrusted silver watch.

"Alice! You knew about this?" Yumi watched as her brother addressed the girl familiarly, vexation evident, with his thumb pointed accusingly at Suguru who stood beside him. Yumi could see the girl, who looked to be of about the same age as she and her brother, visibly wilt.

"Yuuki!" Yumi exclaimed. Only half an hour before it had been Yuuki chastising his sister, and Yuuki had maintained the air of seniority ever since. Now Yumi felt comfortable reasserting her authority as eldest sibling. "You're being rude to the poor girl. Be nice!"

"Yumi…" Yuuki began to say something but was cut off by Suguru.

"It's my fault, Yuukichi," Suguru said as he put his hand on Yuuki's shoulder, a motion Yuuki immediately shrugged off. Suguru then walked to stand beside the new girl and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder instead. "I gave Alice-chan specific instructions and threatened her if she broke confidence."

Yuuki looked from Suguru to Alice to Yumi and then back to Suguru, clearly frustrated. "Kashiwagi-san, you're an ass."

"Yuuki!" Yumi exclaimed in dismay at her brother's language around she and this new girl.

Yuuki gave a look to both Suguru and Alice that indicated they weren't through, but when Yuuki changed the subject Yumi decided to let it be for now. _ I know how hard it is for him to deal with Kashiwagi-san constantly, and I have no desire to get involved in that given I can barely stand the man. As far as this new Alice girl, I have no idea what the relationship is between these three. I just hope Yuuki doesn't normally treat girls like that when I'm not around._

"So, since you two seem to know everything that's going on, where is everyone?" Yuuki glared at Alice.

"First off, Yuuki-kun, I believe introductions are in order?" the girl, Yumi had already gathered her name was Alice, stated by way of a question with a serene, soft smile she shown first on Yuuki and then to Yumi.

_She's gentle, _Yumi noted pleasantly. _ She couldn't be more ladylike if she attended Lillian. I like her already_. Yumi smiled back at the calm girl with the remarkable feather weaving. Not sure she trusted Yuuki's mood at the moment, and never trusting Kashiwagi-san any further than she could throw him, Yumi decided to take the initiative. "My name is Fukuzawa Yumi, 16 years old. I'm a second year student at Lillian Girl's Academy in Tokyo. Yuuki-kun is my younger brother…in theory." That last was said to glares shared by the siblings…glares that were quickly interrupted by the sound of giggling.

"Please forgive me," the feather-haired girl said in excuse as she brought a hand to her mouth to help control herself. "I have an older sister and watching you two is like looking in a mirror at Yasuna and I." She then brought her hand back down and rummaged briefly in a small purse, bringing out a photograph and handing it to Yumi. Yumi reached over and looked it over as the girl gave her own introduction.

"My name is Arisugawa Alice, 16 years old. I'm a friend of Suguru-sama and therefore of your brother…in theory," despite Yumi not looking at Alice as she said that since her focus was on the photograph, she could hear the grin in the final words.

Yumi looked up from the image to see a wide smile on the other girl's face, a smile she couldn't help but mirror herself. She briefly looked down again at the photograph of the same girl with a much taller girl standing next to her. Despite the profound variation in height, she could see the resemblance.

"In my defense, at least you don't look like your sister's twin. I'm sure it's different when you're both girls, too." Yumi heard what sounded like a choking sound as she turned to look at her brother. "Are you okay, Yuuki?"

Yuuki looked from Alice to Yumi and then back to Alice, his face in a scowl. "Kashiwagi-san, I'm not sure what game you're playing, and you _will_ explain later. I can get the hint, though. I may not trust you, but I do trust Alice. Alice-chan, can you tell me where I can find the others and I'll go join them with Kashiwagi-san. That way they'll know he's here and he can explain himself to all of us together. Shall I assume you want to go window shopping a while with Yumi?"

"That's a wonderful idea, Yuuki-kun!" Alice exclaimed as if it were a new idea. "Fukuzawa-san?" Alice looked hopefully at Yumi and her earnestness was infectious.

Yumi nodded.

"Thank you!" Alice said, bringing her hands together to clap in her exuberance, then looked at the rather ostentatious watch on her wrist. "I show it's just before Noon," Alice said as she looked up from her watch to Yuuki. "What say we all meet together at the ice cream and gelato place at the other end of Main Street from here at 3 o'clock? It's right across the street from the arcade that Yamaguchi-kun dragged the others to, saying they'd wait for you there."

Yuuki looked at his sister and waited for her signal, a nod, before answering simply. "Fine with me." He then looked at his senpai and the two guys started to make their way down the street in the direct, no-nonsense manner of men, oblivious to the fascinating shops to either side of them.

"I apologize for my brother, Arisugawa-san. He's not usually that rough." Yumi said as the two girls watched the boys disappear into the crowd. "I really don't know what got into him."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Alice assured her new shopping partner as she gently urged Yumi forward toward the first cluster of shops. The two were then silent until they entered the first storefront that caught their consensus eye, a clothing store with colorful skirts and blouses apparently imported from South Asia. Only when the two were glancing through racks in relative privacy did Alice continue her thought.

"Suguru-sama has that effect on everybody," Alice restarted again without missing a beat. "I also know that Yuuki-kun's annoyance is nothing personal towards me. And if you're okay with it, you can call me Alice. It's weird calling your brother by his given name and you by your family name since, despite how annoying it is to the two of you to have it pointed out, you really do have a lot of similarities."

Yumi sighed as she followed Alice's lead. "Thank you, Alice-chan. You're probably right that it is Kashiwagi-san that has Yuuki in such a cross state. Is there anyone who doesn't find him annoying?"

"Those who don't know him and adults," Alice answered immediately. "Those groups seem to universally adore him. What do they call him at Lillian, Yumi-chan? The one's who don't know him?" Alice's smile at her new friend indicated she already knew the answer.

"The Prince," Yumi answered right back, increasingly curious about this girl she had never met and yet who seemed strangely involved in her life from the opposite side…via her brother. "Even those who do know him, like those of us in the Yamayurikai call him that, but it's more a taunt than a title. I think there were some in school who called him that even before the play last year."

"He was quite the handsome Prince in your play, though, don't you think?" Alice asked teasingly, although Yumi was pretty certain she wasn't feigning her admiration. "Ogasawara-sama was lovely as Cinderalla, I should add. Even though I know she wasn't thrilled at playing the part with Suguru-sama, they certainly were a cute couple for those who didn't know the real story between them. I understand you were the alternate for Cinderalla, although you did a fine step-sister. It seems you and I have something in common." Alice's eyes were practically twinkling in humor as she went through several of the lines, word for word and with great dramatic effect, that Yumi had come to know by heart as she practiced for the possibility she's play the lead role last year.

"How…" Yumi began, then stopped, not knowing how to word the jumble of questions that were now flooding her mind.

"Who do you think played Cinderella in practice with the Prince, Yumi-chan? How else do you think that idiot would have been so perfect given he never actually got to practice with you or your oneesama?"

Yumi's mouth opened in a big, silent, O. This only caused Alice's prideful smile to widen further, causing Yumi to finally respond in kind with a smile of her own. "I had actually wondered that. I suppose I should thank you for helping ensure Oneesama wasn't embarrassed and that the play went smoothly."

"Oh, I enjoyed it very much, Yumi-chan. No thanks needed. I enjoy acting. I'm hoping…" Alice began a thought, then stopped.

"Hoping what?" Yumi prompted, curious.

"Oh nothing," Alice responded and dodged any further questions by diving into the shopping experience with Yumi. Despite the pig-tailed girl's curiosity, conversation stayed superficial after that.

*****PGBR*****

"So, are you hungry? I haven't had lunch yet." Alice and Yumi had just emerged from using the lady's room that was nestled between several eateries ranging from traditional Japanese and Chinese to South Asian and Western.

"I haven't either," Yumi admitted.

"This may sound weird," Alice admitted, looking sheepish, "but it's been forever since I had a simple hamburger. Would you like to grab something and bring it to the park we saw on the other side of the statue fountain back a block? I'm sure we can find a nice bench or just sit out on the grass."

"You're wearing a white skirt, Alice-chan. I'm not sure if the grass is such a good idea." Yumi chided her shopping partner good-naturedly.

"Hey, if it turns out we need to use the grass I'll just buy a blanket. I've seen several nice ones already."

Yumi remembered back to some of the hand-crafted blankets Alice had been looking at and cringed at their price tags and the thought of them being used on the grass_. At least now I know where she falls out on the class spectrum, as if that watch of hers didn't hint at it. _"Let's get lunch and we'll figure it out from there, Alice-chan."

Alice nodded and the two made their way to grab lunch. As luck would have it, a nice bench came available just as the two were strolling through the park with their newly purchased meals. The two were able to settle comfortably and spread their food out on the bench between them. Yumi was relieved to note that Alice had no trouble figuring out the normal way to eat a hamburger, never commenting about wanting utensils. In fact, Yumi was amazed at how quickly Alice put away her meal.

"Yumi-chan, are you having fun?" Alice asked out of the blue, looking thoughtfully at Yumi.

Yumi had been about to take another bite of her sandwich, but noting Alice's now pensive expression thought better of it and allowed the hand holding her hamburger to drop from her face. "Of course, Alice-chan. I haven't had this much fun shopping since Valentine's Day when I went shopping with Oneesama."

"I'm glad," the girl with red-highlight admitted. "I'm sorry I'm moody right now. Just a lot going through my mind. "

"Alice-chan, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Certainly," Alice assured the pig-tailed girl, clearly giving her full attention to the conversation.

"What is your relation to Kashiwagi-san? You mentioned you know Yuuki thought him, and the three of you are obviously very close. Yuuki and I don't talk as much as we should, and I'm curious to know this part of his life."

Alice smiled wanly as Yumi took another bite of her hamburger while awaiting a reply. "That's a long story, Yumi-chan. There's not nearly enough time right now to tell it all, even if we had no desire to keep shopping, which I very much want to keep doing. Let's just say Suguru-sama is a family friend. Through him, I became familiar with the Hanadera student council and helped out where I could. Nothing really that spectacular."

Yumi looked thoughtful as she continued eating her sandwich in silence.

"I will say," Alice continued, apparently now uncomfortable with the quiet, "that I am sorry for all the trouble Suguru-sama has caused you and the others at Lillian. I probably spend more time with him than anyone now except his cousin Matsudaira Touko but I can't seem to manage to keep him out of trouble despite my best efforts."

Yumi finished chewing her last bite before responding. "You know Touko-chan?"

Alice smiled, but it didn't seem to Yumi to be a very happy one. "As much as anyone does, I suppose. I consider her a friend, but I wouldn't say I really know her."

Yumi nodded sympathetically as she thought about her own complex feelings for her kohai and her Oneesama's cousin. "I'd say you know her then."

Alice looked more thoughtful than ever at this. "Yumi-chan, please don't press me on this, but please think on what I'm about to say. Touko-san and others you may meet now that you're so close to Ogasawara-sama exist in a different world from you. Not a better world, although they would argue that, but a different one. The rules you're used to don't apply. Be careful and keep to your brother's crowd or Ogasawara-sama's house while you're up here. If you are around others, let Ogasawara-sama do the talking. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Yumi desperately wanted to ask more, but Alice was now standing and collecting all the trash before carrying it to a nearby receptacle. When the girl returned, she was wearing the pleasant 'social' smile Yumi could now recognise from her experience at Lillian as that universally worn by girls of status when everything was to remain superficial. The look didn't seem to Yumi to be natural for this girl, although it was clearly well-practiced. Yumi buried her curiosity and stood to join her partner for more shopping as they meandered their way toward the designated meeting spot.

*****PGBR*****

"I still can't believe some of the games they have up here; modern ones as well as the classics. It's hard to find a place like this even back in Tokyo." Kobayashi Masamune gushed to the assembled students who were standing as a group enjoying ice cream cones.

Yumi and Alice had arrived last, finding the guys milling around sharing their experiences. While Kobayashi had spent most of his time at the arcade, Yuuki had wandered off to the amusement area just off Main Street where there was a batting cage. Yuuki was an athletic boy, and baseball would always be his passion despite the shoulder injury that kept preventing him from going all the way with it. The same amusement area had kept Takeda Magane busy with various tests of strength and endurance. Of the three, Takeda clearly also had a sister complex and had spent some time shopping for said Lillian middle schooler.

"Alice-chan, what do you think?" Yumi saw Takeda say as he sidled up to the girl and opened the bag for her to take a look. Alice allowed Yumi to watch as she sorted through various hand crafted pendants and pieces of jewelry as well as a rather expensive-looking glass mobile that seemed designed to catch the light coming in someone's bedroom window and display patterns around the room.

Alice looked over at Yumi with a humored smile. "We're talking a 12 year old. I warned him away from clothes."

Yumi internally sighed with relief that someone was helping guide the poor boy. The various items were actually quite cute, and depending on the girl in question might actually see use. "Not knowing your sister, Takada-san, I can only say that everything is very sweet. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

Alice then chimed in to confirm the assessment. "I agree with Yumi-san. I don't see anything here that's screams 'bad idea' to me."

"Thank you, Alice!" the boy said gratefully and closed the bag before giving Alice a quick one-armed hug across the shoulders. He then went back to the nearby table to rescue his dripping cone.

_Just what is the connection between these boys and Alice_, Yumi pondered for the nth time. She watched as Alice looked back to her after Takeda left and then gave a sheepish shrug.

With her curiosity about the peculiar girl unlikely to be assuaged, her ice cream cone complete, and her shopping craving satisfied, Yumi realized she really wanted to get back to her oneesama. When she expressed the desire to head back, Alice and Suguru shared a glance and then Suguru nodded.

"I'll go get the car and come back for you," Suguru assured the Lillian student. "You just wait here and enjoy the company." He then headed off.

"So, did you two actually get anything," Yuuki asked Alice and Yumi once Suguru was gone and all the ice cream cones had been finished off.

"Other than lunch, nope," Alice answered for both of them.

"We saw a bunch of neat things, though," Yumi continued. "Alice-chan looks spectacular in a girl's yukata. If we were going to see fireworks this week, I would have demanded she buy the second one she tried on. It has a lot of reds and was gorgeous on her with that lovely hair of hers."

"As I said, I'd buy it if you let me buy you that third one you tried on."

Yuuki shook his head. "So you spent the whole time running in and out of dressing rooms…"

"Actually," Yumi explained one of the great feminine mysteries, "we staked out a dressing room in each place and tried different things at the same time. It's more efficient that way."

"Waaa…Alice!" Yuuki turned Alice with an accusing expression on his face.

Yumi looked at the two of them, wondering what exactly was going on. Alice seemed to be holding her own, so she refrained from rebuking her brother. Still…

"Yuuki, we were just trying on clothes," Alice explained, clearly trying to be calming. "Girls do that."

Yuuki looked from Alice to Yumi and back again. "Alice, you're coming with us when we take Yumi back. Either you tell her or I will." He then stormed off.

Yumi was completely baffled at her brother's inexplicable behavior and started to move after him when she felt herself stopped as Alice grabbed her arm. "It's okay, Yumi-chan." Yumi turned to look into the feather-framed face of her newest friend. Alice was smiling, although Yumi could tell the girl beneath the smile was conflicted. "Really, Yumi-chan, you really have a remarkable brother. He's just being protective of his sister like any good brother should do. I just want you to know that."

Yumi watched silently as Yuuki rejoined Kobayashi and Takeda, not arguing with the strange words but left to wonder what made the girl say such enigmatic things.

*****PGBR*****

Yumi sat attentively as Alice briefly explained her background. She was seated in the passenger seat of Suguru's sporty little car. Yuuki and Alice were in the back. Although she couldn't easily see Alice who was directly behind her, she had a good sense of the sincerity behind the words.

_I can see why she didn't want to waste precious shopping time to share this. I saw her changing clothes, and it never once felt awkward. I certainly don't doubt her veracity that she's a girl…and a pretty one at that._

Yumi was quiet as she processed this, and she could sense the anticipation of the others in the car. Yumi could tell they were getting close to Oneesama's house.

"Alice-chan," Yumi began with familiarity meant to punctuate her next words. "You can come shopping with me any time you'd like. And we will wear yukata together to a festival, deal?" She turned in her seat to look at Alice, who was clearly very happy to be hearing this. Yumi reached back to grab Alice's forearm in affectionate reassurance.

"I look forward to it very much, Yumi-chan," Alice expressed, clearly relieved.

No sooner had Yumi turned herself back in her seat did she feel the car slow to a stop exactly where it had been when she was first picked up perhaps six hours prior.

"Here we are!" Suguru announced unnecessarily.

Now that she was so close to her oneesama again, Yumi wasted no time exiting the car. Still aware enough of herself to remember her manners, and wanting to provide a good example to her brother who had all too often forgotten them today, she turned back to Suguru and bowed. "Thank you very much!"

"I would be happy to be of service to you at any time, Yumi."

"Please excuse me," Yumi finished and began to turn to make her way briskly down the lane back to the summer home.

"Yumi-chan!"

"Oh?" Yumi turned back to face Suguru, who had called back for her attention.

"Good luck."

"With what?" Yumi really had no clue what Suguru was referring to.

"Well, I just have this premonition that you might be in for some trouble. Because you're away from your home turf here, Yumi."

"Away?" This sounds a lot like what Alice was saying during lunch. Yumi peered as best she could and caught Alice's eyes. The girl was nodding.

"Um, I'll keep that in mind Kashiwagi-san. I am just here spending time with Sachiko-sama. I can't imagine anything bad can happen just lolling around here." With that, she smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner and then turned to make her way back to the house as quickly as he legs, and her rising heart, would carry her.

*****Author's Note*****

A short chapter before a long one. As stated in the Chaper One author's note, I'm telling the story from alternate points of view from Alice. As such, I couldn't explain the events of earlier Wednesday between Alice and Touko when no one but Alice in this chapter experienced it. The next chapter is back to Touko's POV, and the fallout from Tuesday night in the onsen will be covered, as will the events throughout the day all the way through the campfire Wednesday night. :-)


	6. Wolves Stalking Prey

**Shepherds Watching Over Us**

Who watches the lambs when they vacation amongst wolves?

**Wolves Stalking their Prey**

2nd year, Early August

First Wednesday of Summer Vacation

The sound of birds chirping outside her window existed solely to taunt Touko, or at least that's how she felt. She hadn't slept at all through the night, and the coming dawn reminded her that she had another difficult day ahead.

_At least she won't be part of it._

The satisfaction she had hoped would come with the thought failed to manifest. Instead it just served to worsen the stomach ache she had been nursing all night.

_That's it. I'm going for a walk._

With that thought, Touko rose from her bed and donned a fleecy robe over her nightgown. She quietly made her way down the stairs and to the back entrance to the house. There was enough light from the coming dawn now that she'd have no problem navigating the familiar terrain. She put on her sandals and made her way outside.

Humid morning air filled her nostrils and she breathed deeply. Although she was by no means a morning person, on the occasions she did greet the summer dawn up here she had always found it relaxing. There was something about the sensation of clear, moist, daybreak air that made it difficult to cling to bitterness.

_Alice is right. I am bitter. Still, why does it concern her? Why does she have to be so damned insightful? She's as bad as Yumi. I don't understand how anyone can stand being around either of them._

Touko continued breathing in the mountain air as she strolled along the edge of the modest landscaping where it met the wilderness that bordered the back of her grandfather's property. She thought back to last night and the state in which her words had left her most recent friend. Alice hadn't said another word to her for the rest of the evening after Touko's return salvo about bitterness. In fact, she had barely said a word at all.

When they had met the men again at the front of the onsen, Alice had simply gone up to Suguru and clung to his arm, her head down and her eyes closed shut. Touko herself refused to meet anyone's eyes, but she could tell that many looks had been exchanged between the adults present. Her grandfather had come up to and put his arm around her as he guided her out of the facility, and she had allowed herself to melt into his reassurance.

The drive home was done in silence as Touko curled up against her grandfather in one bench seat of the SUV they had procured for the day. Touko couldn't be absolutely sure, but she suspected her circumstance was being replicated in the seat behind her by Alice and Suguru. Even that simple fact, that Alice could or would call on Touko's beloved cousin's support at a time when Touko needed him rankled her. Her emotions were so drained at that point, however, that she could no longer find it in herself to hate the girl for it. She simply snuggled into her grandfather that much more, trying to lose herself.

When everyone had gotten back to the house Alice finally spoke, asking if she could stay at Suguru's place that night. Everyone seemed surprised when Akane, the wife of Alice's driver who had been completely silent until that moment, immediately vetoed the idea in no uncertain words. Touko had watched as Alice flared briefly with indignance before wilting and allowing the woman to draw her away from her grip on her senpai.

Touko's attention was brought back to the present with a thought as she watched the telltale signs of the sunrise in the sky above her. All night she had assumed Alice's request had been driven by a desire to get as far away from Touko as possible. She now finally realized why the Lillian alumna had been driven to break sacred protocol with her husband's employer by inserting herself publically into personal business. _With my words, I completely obliterated Alice's confidence in herself as a woman. She was clinging to Suguru-oniisama and his masculinity for reassurance about her own femininity. If she'd been left with Suguru in her state, and knowing Suguru's loneliness as well, there's no telling what might have happened, and Akane knew it._ That realization stunned Touko, that someone would have allowed her that much power over them. _Of all the foolish…_

Touko turned to look back at the house, and only then realized she wasn't alone. Curled up in a wide swinging chair that was aimed away from the house was a sleeping Alice, dressed similarly to Touko at the moment in her own nightgown and robe. Her now featherless hair was flaying haphazardly and it was clear she had spent a fair amount of time crying since the two had last been together.

_She must have slipped out during the night. Given I never slept, I'm impressed she was able to slip past without me hearing._

Curious, and lacking anything better to do at the moment, Touko made her way to the cluster of lawn furniture and settled herself into a comfortable chair across from her frustrating friend. For the first time in 24 hours she found herself actually relaxing as she watched the hypnotic action of Alice's gentle breathing. "Baka," she said aloud quietly, unsure at the moment just whom the insult referenced, before she lost her own awareness to sleep.

*****PGBR*****

Her cheek itched.

Touko awoke with a start as she realized she had been asleep. On her cheek was a small leaf which must have drifted to land there while she was dozing. As she stretched out in the chair she had claimed earlier, she noted two things had changed. Alice was no longer in the swinging sofa, and there was now a robe draped over her in addition to the one which she had donned before leaving her room.

_Alice put her robe over me like a blanket_, Touko realized. The certain knowledge of this simple action by someone she had so horribly wronged the previous night overwhelmed her. Liberated by the knowledge no one would see her do it, she found herself crying. She couldn't stop, so instead she wrapped Alice's robe in her hands and used it to cover and muffle her weeping. It didn't go on for very long, Touko was never one to revel in weakness more than necessary, but she had to admit she felt better for having done it.

Once she had reasserted control over herself, Touko wiped her face with the soft fabric and rose to her feet. She realized she was still clinging to the robe like a security blanket, but at the moment she really didn't care.

She made her way back to the house, curious to discover where Alice had gone. Her curiosity was quickly assuaged as the sound of gentle, quiet plucking of a violin met her ears once she was fully inside the house. Touko switched back to indoor slippers and made her way to the sitting room where she saw Alice sitting with Beauty, her father's violin, on the piano bench.

Although Touko was certain Alice knew full well she was there, the notes of the melody from Pachabel's Canon in D continued to play and the girl's attention seemed lost in her music and the instrument it was played on. Touko decided her place at the moment was as an appreciative audience and she curled again, this time in her favorite chair, and listened intently to whatever Alice chose to idly play.

_Even her idle playing is better than most anyone else's best effort._ Touko surprised herself with the realization that this thought, completely devoid of any envy but rather filled with pride for another, gave her a sense of peace…even a small ember of happiness.

_Why does the world seem determined to make me like Yumi? _Touko thought with annoyed irony as she sensed the trap for what it was._ I can't afford it. Maybe it works for her and for this girl, maybe Sachiko-oneesama can find some comfort in it, but I'm not allowed. This kind of peace is for people secure in their place in this world. I'm anything but secure, clinging to the good nature of people who felt sorry for a baby who just lost her parents._

Touko realized then that Alice's playing had stopped. She glanced up from her familiar thoughts to see Alice gazing at her with an inscrutable expression.

"That was lovely," Touko said, trying to sound reassuring but the effect was lost due to her voice being scratchy from crying earlier.

Alice simply nodded before turning away from Touko's return gaze so she could focus on returning Beauty to its case. "I need to start getting ready," Alice began, matter-of-factly. "The boys will be arriving at the station before 8 o'clock and my hair is a mess."

Touko watched as Alice finished stowing the violin and began to exit the room in the direction of the stairs. "Will you let me help?" Touko asked in offering.

Alice stopped, but didn't respond. Touko couldn't see her face.

"It took three of you to set it up the first time. We're just doing repair, admittedly, but as you saw it's been messed up a bit. You really need another set of hands."

Silence ruled the room for long moments as Alice remained frozen where she had stopped when Touko spoke. "Touko-san, right now I can't afford to need anything from you." The sharpness of the rebuke clearly indicated the extent to which Touko had hurt her. Touko looked down at the robe she was still clinging to her like a teddy bear. "That said," Alice continued, turning to look at Touko with a torn expression, biting her lip, "I could certainly use the help. Just don't assume trusting you with my hair means I trust you with anything else."

"You're learning," Touko said simply and rose from her chair, still clutching the robe.

"So was this all about teaching me a lesson?" Alice inquired, her face not softening at all.

"It might be the easiest explanation to stick with that," Touko said with an indifferent shrug that was completely at odds to the tortured emotions once again roiling her stomach.

Alice nodded thoughtfully without saying anything, then turned and made her way up the stairs and to the bathroom followed by Touko.

*****PGBR*****

"Ogasawara ojou-sama is on the back porch reading a book, Saionji-sama. I'd be happy to take the three of you back there if you would like." Touko watched as Sawamura Kiyo, the female half of the couple that attended to the Ogasawara summer home, turned to lead the four of them through the house and to the back.

_So far, so good_, Touko thought, seeing no sign of Yumi's presence. _If Alice managed to get Yumi away and leave Sachiko-oneesama here alone, that'd be the best outcome possible. Yukari-san might have been tempted to follow Sachiko into town if she had gone too, but this way there's no reason for her to. If we can keep Yumi to her activities while these three have theirs alone with Sachiko, we might avoid anything happening the whole week._

Touko's impossible hope held up as it became obvious Yumi really wasn't anywhere in the house.

"Sachiko-sama," Yukari said first in greeting as the leader of her group. "It is so wonderful to see you again after eight months. You look well."

Touko watched as Sachiko rose to greet her guests. "And you look lovely too, Yukari-san. I must admit the longer hair becomes you. My, I remember it being as short as Kikuyo-san's only two years ago."

Yukari blushed in embarrassment, her pride at the compliment clearly unfeigned. "That is so kind of you, Sachiko-sama."

"And Kikuyo-san," Sachiko continued to greet the next girl. "My you've grown since last summer."

The black haired girl positively glowed under the recognition, bowing slightly as she acknowledged the praise. "Thank you, Sachiko-sama. I'm honored that you've noticed. I would like to think that I've grown in my studies as much as I have grown in stature."

"My cousin was in the top 10 of her class advancing from middle school to high school," Kieko said as she looked from Kikuyo to Sachiko.

"Impressive!" Sachiko exclaimed. "I know you've been working with her as well, Kieko-san. You must be very proud."

"Oh, I may have had more time with her, but she wouldn't stop talking about her goal being to impress you. Her doctors say she's one of the most advanced functioning severe dyslexics they've ever seen."

"Kieko!" Kikuyo said, turning to display her embarrassed annoyance at her cousin for bringing up her handicap so bluntly in conversation. Touko well know Kikuyo's reading disability was the generic hook the two older girls used to keep Kikuyo down just as Touko's questionable pedigree and romanticism was hers.

"Ladies, please," Sachiko said as she moved to place a hand on Kikuyo's shoulder. "Kikuyo-san, you are most welcome to join us tomorrow if you'd like to demonstrate your progress."

Kikuyo looked up uncertainly at Sachiko, although Touko could see the act was pure Kikuyo. "Are you sure I wouldn't be imposing?"

"Not at all. I'm sure we will still be working on our homework as well."

Touko watched as Kieko and Yukari shared a look at the use of plural by Sachiko. The look, and Touko's thoughts surrounding it, were broken by the arrival of Sawamura bringing tea.

"Ladies, would you please join me at the table and we can share some tea. Have you had lunch?"

"No Sachiko-sama," Yukari again answered for the group, "we were planning to eat after we visited with you. We didn't want you to think we had forgotten you after we failed to show up yesterday as is traditional, so we thought to come by today earlier than later."

"I haven't had lunch yet," Sachiko admitted as she returned to the chair she had been occupying when the girls arrived. "Would you care to join me?"

The girls looked at each other as they also took their seats, then nodded back at Sachiko. Touko knew her role and played it faithfully. She wondered why Sachiko never seemed to see through the game.

_Maybe Sachiko-oneesama and Yumi have more in common than I thought. They're both innocent lambs. It's just that before the wolves all agreed to coddle the lamb because it was too valuable to eat up, and no one wanted another wolf to get her all to themselves. Yumi isn't shielded by that status._

"I'll prepare sandwiches and iced tea, if that is fine with you, ojou-sama," Sawamura said to Sachiko upon hearing all this.

"That'll be perfect, Kiyo-san. Please keep it simple." Touko appreciated Sachiko's direction. It took the pressure off of Kiyo to prepare anything terribly complicated for the impromptu guests. She doubted the others would have been so considerate given the importance of hospitality on prestige.

_It must be nice to be at the top and be able to dispense with the game_, Touko thought with her mind entirely on another girl nominally at the top_. I must admit, though, that Alice is holding up her end of the bargain. It looks like we'll get through Day 2 unscathed and Day 3 can't be too bad if it's just Kikuyo by herself here on Sachiko's home turf._

Touko remained quiet through lunch and the conversations that followed. She didn't see a need to speak given she could see Sachiko whenever she liked and had free access to the Ogasawara residence, a key reason why she suspected the others used her as their "whipping boy" as Alice had so bluntly and undiplomatically put it at the onsen the previous night.

It was just as she had finally allowed herself to relax, even to finally laugh with the others, that she heard the sound of a new arrival letting themselves in at the door.

"I'm back!" Yumi's voice carried through the hall and to the back of the house.

_No! Alice, just 15 more minutes and we would have been clear!_

"Yumi," Sachiko called out after she controlled her recent laughter at the story Yukari had just finished. "Are you back? Come over here."

"Hai!" Touko heard Yumi answer. Touko could see the glances being shared surreptitiously by her three friends. All she could do was steel herself for what was coming next. Her mood, which had finally been lightening, darkened quickly and she didn't really care who noticed it at the moment.

_Just 15 more minutes_…Touko kept repeating in her head like a mantra.

Touko didn't bother to turn as the laughter died down. Although she wasn't looking directly at anyone, rather maintaining her focus on the porcelain tea service adorning the simple wood table, she could tell all attention had turned to the back entrance to the house. _Wolves eyeing their prey…_

The silence seemed to drag on like the shootout scene in an old American western. Finally, Sachiko rose and walked behind Touko, ostensibly to stand with her petite soeur. Touko closed her eyes to visualize the scene, maintaining her back to it.

"Ladies," Touko heard Sachiko begin the introduction, "this is Fukuzawa Yumi, who became my little sister at school. She'll be staying here until Monday, so please make her feel welcome."

Kikuyo was the first to take a sniff. "My name is Ayanokoji Kikuyo. Pleased to meet you, Yumi-sama."

Touko was surprised when Yukari spoke next. She had rather expected the ring leader to stay back and let everyone else inspect the new item on the menu before taking charge. "I'm Saionji Yukari. I'm so envious that you have become Sachiko-sama's little sister."

Touko almost choked at the unexpectedly honest admission, but managed to maintain her serene posture thanks in large measure to everything that had happened with Alice having drained the emotional peaks from her. _I wonder what Yukari's game is with being so open?_

Touko didn't have time to ponder as Kieko immediately started speaking. _I wonder if they planned even this level of detail? I think those two are making plans on their own without Kikuyo and I._

"I am Kyogoku Kieko. I would love to be friends with you."

_Hmmm, so Kieko's to be the emissary. I should have seen that coming._

Touko realized she had to act now. _In for a penny, in for a pound._ With that thought, she opened her eyes and turned her head to the left to let Yumi see her clearly.

"Touko-chan…" a clearly overwhelmed Yumi said as she recognized the one familiar face Touko suspected that wasn't reassuring at the moment.

_She's playing right into their game, foolish…_ "Gokigenyo, Yumi-sama," Touko said in the traditional Lillian greeting. Although her head remained turned, she closed her eyes so she didn't have to look into Yumi's vulnerable ones.

_You did this to yourself,_ Touko assured herself of Yumi as she steeled herself for the start of the hunt_. I have to believe Alice didn't let you go easily. All you had to do was stay with your brother. That's all. Is that too much to ask someone with at least enough intelligence to make it to 11__th__ grade at Lillian?_

"Yumi, come sit with us," Touko heard Sachiko say and opened her eyes to see Sachiko return to her seat.

Knowing there wasn't currently another place to sit, Touko decided she'd at least throw Yumi a line to start. She rose. "Yumi-sama, if you would like, please accept my seat. I need to use the bathroom and I will bring a chair back with me from the dining room." She then proceeded into the house, closely passing by Yumi whose head tracked her movement, to do as she had said even though she didn't really need to use the facilities. She made quick work of it and was relieved to find Yumi holding her own for the moment when she returned with her own chair. A flare of vindictiveness over the pain she'd experienced over the past two days caused her to insert her chair in the space between Yumi and Sachiko.

"My apologies, but I can't lift the chair safely over my head to get past Sachiko-oneesama," she said by way of excuse as Sachiko moved herself over to her right to make extra room. Touko took a glance at Yumi and saw the same wide eyed yet opaque look directed at her which Touko had originally taken for a vulnerable "deer in headlights" look, but which now seemed perhaps a bit more shrewd.

_Maybe Alice or Suguru-oniisama at least had a talk with her. They seem to think Yumi's not quite as thick as a brick. I sure hope so, for her sake._

Touko remained quiet and she allowed the conversation to go where it might. Touko was relieved that Yumi didn't outright humiliate herself. She actually seemed quite conservative, allowing Sachiko to do as much of the talking for her as possible. Touko had to ascribe Yumi's caution to Alice. It felt like what the girl would have counseled as wisdom for a complete neophyte who had a protector she could turn to and lean on.

After a while, it appeared Kieko and Yukari were convinced that the direct approach wasn't going to get anywhere. At an appropriate point, Yukari acknowledged that the visiting girls should be getting on their way. She watched as Sachiko and Yumi accompanied the guests back through the house and toward the waiting Saionji family car. Touko stayed behind briefly to share some pleasant words alone with Kiyo, out of sight of the others. She didn't want to provide her friends more ammunition for questioning her class loyalty, but whenever possible Touko did like to acknowledge the staff who made her lifestyle possible. Additionally, not surprisingly Touko had spent a great deal of time at this house as a child, and Sawamura Kiyo had been a nurturing figure for her. The two parted with an affectionate bow and Touko made her way briskly to the front, not wanting to delay the others and invite questions.

As she walked down the stairs at the front porch of the house, Touko was surprised to find herself alone with Yumi as her senpai stood watching her oneesama walk the other girls to their car. Touko realized now was her chance to add her own warnings to whatever Suguru-oniisama and Alice may already have said.

"Once they get home," Touko predicted, "those girls will waste no time spreading rumors about you."

"Rumors?" Yumi said, a look of surprise evident on her face even in Touko's peripheral vision. "Like what?"

Touko closed her eyes, not wanting to see the naïve look on Yumi's face. She allowed her smile to fade as she continued. "They've all adored Sachiko-oneesama for the longest time. You came later, and yet you became her little sister. There's no way the rumors will be good."

"I see," Yumi began again, and then paused long enough for Touko to open her eyes again and turned to face Yumi. "So we're talking about three more Touko-chans."

Touko began forward again, but had to admit Yumi's metaphor was amusing…and insightful. She had to chuckle slightly. _If you still have two brain cells to rub together behind those ridiculous expressions of yours, that thought alone should keep you out of trouble._ Touko saw Sachiko returning and so she turned to Yumi with her first unfeigned smile of the day and held her hands casually behind her back. "A bit terrifying, isn't it?"

She then turned smoothly to address Sachiko, who was now passing by her. "Gokigenyo."

"Gokigenyo," Sachiko responded with a smile.

Touko continued on to join her friends without looking back.

_Please just stay here Yumi-sama, and you'll be safe._

*****PGBR*****

Touko jumped at the sound of the door to the house opening. She had been so focused on composing her report that the unexpected noise caused her to wreck the kanji she had been writing. Fortunately she was using a pencil, but she still hated correcting her work. She was busy carefully erasing the error when she felt a pair of eyes looking at her from behind. She turned to acknowledge Alice, who was standing in the archway, leaning against one side of the entry and considering her. She was still dressed in what amounted to a tennis outfit- short white skirt and white blouse, but with a light red pastel vest covering much of her top.

"Gokigenyo, Alice-chan," Touko said, hoping Alice would interpret the traditional Lillian address as the peace offering it was meant to be.

Alice's expression looking surprised, but she recovered quickly. "Gokigenyo, Touko-chan," the Lillian shadow responded correctly before continuing on. "How did the afternoon go? Yumi-chan left earlier than I wanted."

Touko twisted in her chair to more comfortably engage in a conversation with the girl behind her. "We were still at Sachiko-oneesama's house when Yumi-sama got back."

Touko watched Alice's face fall and could imagine the berating she was giving herself at having failed. Touko realized anything she could add would only further damage the relationship between them, and for no useful purpose.

"That said," Touko continued, "whatever you or Oniisama said to her seems to have had an impact. She let Sachiko-oneesama do the talking whenever she could. If anything, Sachiko-sama shared more rumor fodder than did Yumi-sama. Sachiko-sama is in such a good mood with Yumi-sama here that she's more dangerous than Yumi-sama."

"Hmmmmm," Alice said thoughtfully. "It's one thing to warn Yumi-chan about being in over her head. I don't think we can just waltz up to Ogasawara-sama and tell her the same thing."

"You're right. We can't," Touko admitted. "Eventually something will clue Sachiko-oneesama in that she needs to protect Yumi-sama. Once that happens, I think she'll be fine."

"We can hope," Alice concluded, then continued with a new thought. "Are you ready? Suguru-sama is waiting outside. I had Haruo-san drive the guys out in the SUV. I still don't know where he managed to get it from, but he's told me we have it through Sunday."

Touko allowed her surprise to show. "You still want me out there? I wasn't sure you'd want me around after last night."

Alice looked at Touko several moments before responding. "You know my greatest weakness, Touko-chan. But then again, I know about that house of cards you call an ego. I'm going to trust that neither of us are into mutually assured destruction. It'll be a long time before I trust you again with my secrets, but I still consider you a friend. Anyway, I don't want to be the only girl at the campsite this evening." This last was said with a hopeful expression. Touko had no doubt it was earnest.

"Fair enough," Touko said as she rose from her chair. "Honestly, it'll be a nice change of pace to be with guys. I've had just enough of the games girls play, thank you very much."

*****PGBR*****

"Are you sure, ojou-sama?"

Haruo-san, Alice's driver, was clearly torn. Sitting all evening waiting in a SUV at a campsite while a bunch of kids did their thing was surely the epitome of boredom for the man, especially when his wife was back in town. Still, he ultimately was responsible for the safety of his charge, and leaving Alice in the woods like this clearly didn't sit right with him.

"Yes, Haruo-san. I know you may not trust me alone with Suguru-sama," the glance the two adult men shared confirmed the assessment, "but he'll behave with Touko-chan around. Yuuki-kun is also up there, and I know you respect him. As far as physical protection, I doubt a herd of elephants could drive off Takeda-kun if I were in danger. We'll be fine."

"Cell phones don't work up here," the man pressed further.

"Suguru-sama will bring us both home when we've had enough. He drove me up here, as you well know. Please, I'll be fine."

Haruo still looked unconvinced.

"Would you still be doing this for Kintarou?"

_Kintarou! _Touko groaned inwardly._ Oh Lord, no wonder she didn't want to share her birth name with me._ Still, Touko could see what Alice was driving at so forcefully. The man was being overprotective of his female charge in a way he wouldn't be for a male.

Haruo looked like he'd been slapped, but nodded. "As you wish, Arisugawa-sama." He then turned to look at Suguru before returning to the car. "I am trusting you personally to return both of these ladies home safe and intact." The emphasis on the latter, and the meaning, was clear and Touko felt herself blush to the tip of her ears at the inference. She wasn't sure whether to be honored or insulted at Suguru's grave bow in response.

_Great. How Warring States of us. My cousin is responsible for my honor. I realize I don't spend much time around boys, but it's not like I'm going to fall for one tonight. Sheesh!_

Not sure how to deal with the situation, and really not wanting to look at Suguru at the moment, Touko grabbed Alice's arm, locking it in her own, and struck out along the trail she and her friend had explored two days prior.

_Was it just two days?_

About 500 meters later, the two girls came into the familiar clearly, although instead of being an empty space as it was two days ago it was now filled with things and activity. Three large tents had been set up and the picnic table was filled with boxes still being unloaded.

As Touko took in the scene, she heard voices calling from a little distance.

"Alice! Over here!"

Touko turned the two of them to see that the voices were coming from a small clearing about 30 meters further into the forest from the campsite. She could see several men standing around an object she couldn't quite make out.

"Come on, Touko-chan. I think they're setting up Kobayashi-kun's telescope." Touko had released Alice's arm by now, but Alice now grasped Touko's hand as the two made their way into the other clearing.

"Kobayashi-kun," Alice said as they got closer, "I didn't think you could use a telescope during the day."

"That's what you think!" The young man challenged. "Here, come take a look!"

Touko stayed close to Alice as she came up to the telescope. It looked for all the world to be pointed straight at the sun. "Is it safe?" Alice asked.

"Of course," the boy said and took a quick peek in the eyepiece before directing Alice and her companion to take a look. "Trust me, it has a filter."

Touko watched as Alice placed her eye up against the eyepiece. Touko realized the extent Alice had to bend over was just barely decent in her current short skirt. _She either needs to wear skorts, wear shorts under her skirts, or she needs to be more careful._ She glanced behind her to see Suguru's stare and turned back to watch Alice with a scowl.

"Sunspots?" Alice said as she stood back up again, pulling her hair out of her face.

"Exactly!"

Touko felt no reservations taking a peek given her much longer skirt. She leaned over and took a look herself to see the bright, flat expanse with dark splotches on it. "Fascinating," she admitted.

"Be careful about encouraging him, Touko-chan. He'll talk your ear off about math and science if you let him." Despite the harsh assessment, Touko could tell Alice felt real affection and respect for this boy. "Anyway, I suppose introductions are in order."

Alice proceeded to introduce Touko, and vice versa, to Kobayashi Masamune as well as Takeda Magane and Fukuzawa Yuuki.

"Matsudaira-san?" Yuuki said after he had been introduced. "I think my sister has mentioned you. You go to Lillian, right?"

"Yes, I do. Yumi-sama is the petite soeur of my relative, Ogasawara Sachiko."

"Ah, that makes sense. I know about Sachiko-san. In fact, I saw her just this morning. It's clear you two," Yuuki gestured at Alice and Touko, "are pretty familiar. Do you know each other from Alice's forays into Lillian?"

Touko looked at Alice, who had the grace to look sheepish. "Actually, no," Touko explained. "I've been attending Lillian my whole life and I have never seen her there, although she has shared some of her adventures with me." Touko smiled encouragingly to Alice, hoping to soften the embarrassment she was certain this was causing the girl.

"Then how?" Yuuki asked again, perplexed.

"You can blame me," Suguru said as he came up to join everyone. "Touko-chan is my first cousin. They met through me."

"And we've been trying to get away from him ever since," Alice added and Touko could see Yuuki smile at the quip. She was amazed at how similar he looked to Yumi-sama.

"So where are Yukushiji-kun?" Alice asked.

"They went for a hike to go exploring once the camp was basically set up," Yuuki explained. "They said they'd be back before dark."

"Ah," Alice said and nodded. "So what else is there to do for setup? Anything I can do to help?"

Yuuki look back at the girls skeptically. "Um, I'll be the last person to deny what girls can do given both of you can now sic my sister on me, but you're not exactly dressed to do much."

Touko looked down at her own blouse and skirt, the same she had worn earlier to Sachiko-oneesama's house, and had to admit the boy was right. She knew Alice's skimpy skirt was even less appropriate, especially for bending or stooping.

She heard Alice sigh. "Caught by my own trap, I suppose. I guess I'll stick with the stereotypes and offer that the girls make the traditional curry tonight."

Yuuki's skeptical look returned. "Alice, have you ever been camping as a girl?"

"Other than at school, I've never been camping at all, Yuuki-kun. You know my upbringing. That said, I really do know how to cook. Remember, Yasuna and I lived on our own for years."

"And if memory serves, you said you ordered take out all the time."

"I still cooked!" Alice said defensively.

Touko took pity on her friend. "We'll figure it out, Fukuzawa-san. Please, if we're going to enjoy your hospitality this evening, let us contribute something."

Yuuki looked over at the other two guys present, who both nodded. "Alright," Yuuki replied. "We may as well get started considering how late it is. We'll get the fire going and soak the rice. We'll leave the rest to you two."

**/*/**

"So in the end," Yuuki concluded, "Yumi ended up having to beat the snot out of this kid who thought he was challenging me."

Dinner was finally ready shortly before the sun set. Everyone except the absent Yakushiji brothers had pitched in. Kobayashi and Takada had gone foraging for wood and started the fire. Touko and Yuuki worked together to prepare the meats and vegetables. Alice handled the actual preparation of the final product, including seasoning. Suguru ended up being the gopher, leaving with a list once it became apparent they'd need some extra things. The campground was big enough to host a small store, and in the end they were fortunate that what they needed was available.

"That's incredible," Touko admitted to Yuuki in real amazement. "She really fought him off?"

"She didn't fight him off, she flattened him. She had no choice," Yuuki continued explaining. "The guy was a jerk who just wouldn't take no for an answer. He wanted a piece of me because I called him on being a bully at school, and he thought he had me alone in that park. Back then, Yumi and I were the same size and she wore her hair short and always wore jeans. It was before puberty, so we really did look almost identical."

"You still look identical," Kobayashi teased. As Yuuki's oldest friend, he was a regular at their house and felt comfortable interjecting in sibling dynamics…at least with Yuuki.

"You want me to tell Yumi you said that?" Yuuki said by way of threat.

"Usually I'd fault a man for threatening another man with his sister," Kobayashi responded, "but in this case she IS scarier than you are!"

"Hey!" Yuuki reached over to slap Kobayashi playfully over the head.

Touko's thoughts deepened as she learned through Yuuki and Kobayashi-kun of a side of Yumi, a capable side, she didn't see at Lillian where Yumi was expected to be demure and where she was lost in the shadows of the feminine powerhouses that were the Roses.

_Maybe I am selling her short. She can't be completely useless to have a brother like Yuuki-kun._

"So what about you, Fukuzawa-san? What do you do when you're not championing justice at Hanadera?" Touko felt fascinated with the boy next to her. A second year and already President of Hanadera. Suguru's protégé, yet clearly his own man and able to stand up and challenge Touko's cousin to an extent no other male ever seemed willing or able to…except perhaps Alice but despite her attendance at Hanadera, and Touko's uncharitable statements on the previous evening notwithstanding, she clearly didn't count.

Touko was annoyed when Takeda interrupted what Yuuki was about to say. "While Yuukichi is composing that short list of things he's good at, how about we break out the marshmallows? We have what we need for smores, right?"

"I know I packed chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows," Kobayashi responded quickly. "I also brought a bunch of old wire coat hangers. We should be set." The two of them along with one of the twins, Touko had no clue which one, got up to go search the boxes with a flashlight.

Touko turned back from the commotion to watch Yuuki's face in the flickering firelight. _He doesn't look like Yumi at all,_ she decided as she waited, entranced, for him to continue speaking.


End file.
